A Shadow and a Thought
by QueenofFlarmphgal
Summary: When Aragorn is captured by Denethor's vengeful supporters, can Eowyn gather the courage to save him? Slightly AU, mainly movie verse. PLEASE RR!
1. Default Chapter

**This is A Shadow and a Thought by me, QueenofFlarmphgal**

**Rating: PG-13, for character angst and certain gory images (eventually)**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in this story and I never will. All of these people and places belong to wonderful Professor Tolkien, may he rest in peace.**

**Author's Note: This story is based on the movie version, when Aragorn looks in the palantir in Minas Tirith. Massive spoilers included for the ROTK EE, for all of those who haven't seen it (shame on you!).**

And here's the story!

Aragorn slowly weaved his way through the stone pillars and beams of Minas Tirith. He paused to allow the night watchman to pass him. He did not want to be seen by anyone, even though he knew that now he was a welcome guest in the White tower. He doubted that he'd be very welcome at about 12:30 in the morning. As the watchman passed, he let out a long slow breath and pulled his spherical bundle closer to him.

Aragorn quietly opened the huge black doors of the throne room and stepped inside, marveling at the sight of his ancestors carven majestically into the stone. He took one last look behind him to see anyone approaching, saw no one, and walked further in, leaving the doors a little bit open for light.

Meanwhile, Eowyn quietly rolled out of the bed that she had been confined to for the last three days. She only winced slightly when her arm was turned the wrong way. It felt much better than it had been and she was sure she would be fine. But the healers wouldn't let her out of her bed for more than about a minute a day. She quickly found the spare pillows and bunched them up under her coverlet. Then she put some straw that a friend had stolen from the stables and arranged it on the pillow. Eowyn stepped back and admired her work. It actually looked a little like her. She wouldn't need it there for long anyway. All she wanted to do was go outside and look around and stretch a little. That wasn't so bad, was it? Eowyn pulled the sling from around her neck and laid it on the table. She stretched her arm. Ahh, that felt better. Much better than being in bed all day. Her hand suddenly longed for a sword. Eowyn started to search the chamber for her blade but suddenly remembered that it was gone. When she smote the Witch-king with it, it had shot away and melted. She knew. Eomer had told her a while ago. Eowyn decided that she would find one on the way out, then go to the courtyard and simply practice with it for a while. Silently she stole out of the chamber and of the healing houses. There was a guard at the door but he was asleep. Smiling secretly to herself, she reached down and carefully unbuckled his sword belt, then refastened it around herself. She was instantly pleased. She walked out to the courtyard and drew it. It was light and easy. She took a few strokes and lunged. This was much better than sleep. Suddenly she heard footsteps. She hid herself behind a tall fountain. Eowyn had no desire to be found by a guard and be escorted to the houses again. Then she saw who it was. Her heart quickened. This was no guard. It was Aragorn.

He was silently stalking toward the throne room. There was an oddly shaped bundle under his arm and he had on his sword and dagger. Eowyn wondered what he was doing but decided not to confront him. Instead, she trailed him. She went from pillar to pillar, watching and waiting. When he at last disappeared into the throne room, she also entered, thankful the door was opened. When Aragorn's back was turned as he stared at a statue, she slipped past him and crouched behind the throne and Steward's chair. Satisfied, she sat and relaxed her arm. It brushed against the sword's hilt. She started and realized that she still had it. Oh well. She would return it later. For now, she peered around the chairs and watched Aragorn approach the throne.

Aragorn strode silently before the throne. He had wasted enough time talking to his ancestors and he wanted to get this done. He carefully placed the bundle on the step and revealed the object inside.

It was the palantir of Orthanc. Aragorn took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He placed his hand just above the palantir. It instantly began to swirl and glow. But it took too long. His mind made up, he grabbed the stone and grasped it firmly. He gazed into it. At first he saw nothing but heard a voice inside his head. It whispered words to him in an unknown tongue that made his blood run cold. And then he saw Him. It was Sauron, in his battle armor that was depicted in the painting in Rivendell. He, too held a palantir. Aragorn felt rage inside him as he remembered all of the sadness Sauron had inflicted on Middle-Earth. He began speaking in a slow and dangerous voice.

"Long have you hunted me. Long have I endured you. But no more…," he paused and drew his sword, Anduril. "Behold the Sword of Elendil!" he cried as he felt the light from his sword strengthen him. The Sauron in the palantir seemed to falter. But then the palantir swirled again and opened a new vision. It was Arwen. Aragorn instantly had a sinking, sinking feeling.

She was lying on a bed, in Rivendell it seemed, but she did not look well. The healthy glow of her skin was diminished and she was pale, far too pale. Then the voices in his head suddenly cried _"She is dead…dead…you killed her…"_

Aragorn visibly paled and lowered his sword. The vision of Arwen grew larger and Aragorn could see a tear on her face. Then her voice erupted in his head, "_I wish I could have seen him…one last time…"_ And the palantir cleared.

Aragorn did the only thing he could think of. He dropped it, and as it fell, he was thankful that he had been able to let go of it, unlike Pippin. Suddenly a flash of silver caught his eye. The Evenstar dropped from its chain. Aragorn grasped at the air in vain but it was too late. The pendant, a symbol of Arwen's love, life, and light, shattered on the cold marble floor.

**Well, there's the first chapter! So how was it? Love it, hate it…tell me in a REVIEW!**

**Sorry about accidentally replacing it yesterday but it's the first time I used the chapter adding thingy. Anyway, Ch. 3 up in about a week, unless I get REVIEWS!**

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	2. When Hope is Lost

**Welcome back!**

**Here's chapter 2, a few days early if you noticed. Thank viggomaniac for that. Viggomaniac, thanks for that SUPER AWESOME review! It made me happy all day even though we got a pop quiz in history!**

**See Ch. 1 for summary/disclaimer, yadda yadda yadda. **

**And on with the story! **

Eowyn sat behind the throne, astounded at the sight before her eyes. Aragorn had seemed alright, even when he picked up the ball, which had begun to glow. He concentrated on the sight before his eyes and spoke in a strange voice. Eowyn had never heard him so serious before. A sudden sound startled her out of her musings. Aragorn was still gazing into the orb, but instead of the iron will and determination in his silver eyes, she recognized pain. And fear. Eowyn drew back against the wall, trembling. What could he have seen to cause him this distress? She was once again drawn out of her thoughts by a noise, this one being a solid thunk on the ground.

Eowyn, startled, turned fully around and gaped at the scene before her. Aragorn had either dropped or threw the ball to the ground, and he was standing over it, breathing heavily. And suddenly a flash of silver cascaded to the ground. Eowyn squinted to see it, and realized it was Aragorn's necklace, the one from the elf-maiden he loved. Shock registering in her face, she watched as it met the ground and split into a thousand shining shards. But even then that was not the last thing to fall. Aragorn collapsed to his knees amid the pieces and put his face in his hand, his head bowed.

Aragorn dropped to his knees, wanting nothing more to lie down and die. What hope had he, Aragorn, against the might of Sauron and his armies? He had now lost everything dear to him and wanted to give up. _Listen to yourself!_ His inner voice chided him. _You would doom the Quest to failure, all because of your own weakness and losses! Think of the hundreds of widows, of children without fathers, of your friends! Frodo and Sam have gotten so far only to have their guardian lose faith in them? _

"No!" he told himself. "I will not abandon them. I will not forsake their sacrifice. I will go without hope!"

With this new resolve eating away at his grief, he stood, took a deep breath, and sheathed his sword. He paused in a reverent moment, losing himself one final time. He murmured a prayer to the Valar to save Arwen and to keep her happy in Valinor. But, unfortunately, so lost was he in his grief, that he didn't hear the footsteps of several men coming toward him.

Eowyn watched reverently as Aragorn rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. She so admired his courage, his will to go on after- Wait! Were those footsteps? Eowyn silently scampered to the other side of the throne, taking care to have the sword ready in its sheath. When she saw who it was, she released her breath. There were only a few soldiers, Gondorian ones. But they were wearing slightly altered uniforms. They all had a red 'X' painted on their helms. And another thing, one was carrying a heavy club. Gondorians didn't use such barbaric weapons. Who were these men? And why were they here, and heading to Aragorn? Comprehension suddenly dawned on her. They were coming to attack him! Alone, he stood no chance. The biggest one was nearly twice his size.

She watched with bated breath as they silently surrounded Aragorn. "Come on!" she cried in her mind. "Look around you! Fight!" But before Aragorn even looked up, one of the men (clearly the leader) said in a mocking voice,

"Well, it seems we have a king in our hands. We can't have that, now can we?" Aragorn's hand at once flew to his sword hilt, but it was too late. The man with the club smote him a solid blow to the head. Aragorn instantly crumpled unconsciously to the ground.

"Hurry." The leader ordered. "Bind him well, and take his weapons. Dawn will be here in a few hours." The brutes obeyed. In about a minute, they had Aragorn's sword, dagger, and hunting knife in a pile and were busily binding him. "Let's go, come on! You, Dagrion, carry him, and Angrand, carry his things." The leader began walking back the way they had come in, and to Eowyn's surprise, not out of the citadel. Dagrion, the one with the club, hoisted Aragorn over his shoulder. From this position, Eowyn saw that his hands had been twisted behind him, and his legs bound at the ankles and knees. Blood trickled from his raven black hair.

Eowyn gripped the edge of the throne, her knuckles turning white. She knew she could not take on these men, not in her current state. But the dishonor! They had snuck up on a grief-stricken man and attacked him.

Once the men were out of sight, she quickly emerged from her hiding place. Her mind reeled. What should she do? Get help? But from who? That, at least, was obvious. She would go to her brother, or the Lord Legolas or Gimli, or even Gandalf. But the only problem was that she didn't know where anyone was. It would take her at least an hour to find them, and Aragorn was in danger every minute.

Then the answer was obvious. She would have to find him. It would be simple. She stood more chance than an army. Eowyn was more than aware of her ability to blend into her surroundings. She had, at very least, used it in the company of the Rohirrim. All she had to do was find a disguise, which she could pick up on the way. Resolved on the matter, she looked around for any helpful items. Her eyes fell on the mysterious ball. She shuddered. She didn't want to use it, but she should at least hide it, lest it should fall into the wrong hands. Eowyn quickly found the cloth it had been in before, and wrapped it up, managing not to touch it. Then, using the very tips of her fingers, she stowed it behind the throne. There. She paused one more time and made sure the sword was secure. Her mind resolved, she stole silently away in the direction the men had gone.

**Well, there we are! Some action stuff at last! Will Eowyn find him? What major torment is Aragorn in for (he he he)? Why not REVIEW and find out! Once again, chapter 3 should be up within the week, depending on REVIEWS!**

**See ya then! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	3. Answers

**Welcome back to A Shadow and a Thought! **

**Sorry it took so long to get up and posted. But my stupid teachers decided that STAR testing meant that we get tons of HW. Which was not fun. **

**But writing this was! Yes, we have some answers and angst for poor Aragorn! **

**Answers to reviews at the bottom. Oh, and sorry for that chapter mess!**

**And here we go!**

Aragorn slowly drifted back to consciousness. His first thought was an intense pain in the back of his head. He moaned and opened his eyes.

He found himself in a small dark room that appeared to be made of stone. There was no one else there, and to Aragorn's dismay, he was tightly and securely bound.

'How did I get here?' he asked himself. But then he remembered.

'_Well, it seems we have a king in our hands. We can't have that, now can we?'_

And then the world had gone black, and he remembered no more.

Aragorn struggled against his bonds in sheer frustration. Who had brought him here?

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?' he cried aloud to the empty chamber. Then, to his surprise, he got an answer.

Eowyn crept past the doorway that the men had passed through just a minute ago. She could still hear their heavy breathing, but it was getting farther away. She wished that Aragorn would wake up. She was sure that he wasn't dead. The men had bound him, and her healer's experience knew something. Dead men don't bleed. Eowyn picked up her pace. The man's breathing had disappeared altogether. Then, to her surprise, she came upon a very solid looking stone wall, the corner of the Throne Room. She whirled around, expecting the men to be launching a surprise attack from behind. But there was no one. She was alone.

A panicky feeling started inside her heart. She was sure the men had come here, but where did they go?

"There must be a secret passage of some kind." She murmured to herself. Eowyn bit her lip and looked closer at the wall. There was no latching mechanism, as far as she could see. And she couldn't distinguish any secret panels, either. She groaned and began feeling the wall, starting at the top. This could take hours, and she couldn't help but feel that Aragorn didn't have much time to wait.

"If you wish to know, my name is Harnad, Second-in-command of the Faithful."

Aragorn rolled over and saw the tall, heavy door opening. A man with two guards had entered, and it was he who had spoken.

"Faithful?" Aragorn answered, rage building. "How faithful is one who attacks a man alone and unaware? Release me!" Harnad only laughed.

"Ah, well met, I must say. Anyway, you know who I am. As to why you are here, I would expect you to know that."

"Enlighten me." Aragorn hissed through his teeth. Harnad laughed again.

"You are a hasty one, aren't you? Well, you are here because of your murder of the Lord Denethor." Aragorn gaped.

"I did no such thing! I know nothing of his death, save only what Gandalf told me, which was that he had burned himself alive!"

"Yes!" Harnad suddenly shouted. "It is true what you say, but you know that you are the one who drove him to do this! You had in your possession the cursed seeing-stone, the palantir! You are the one who broke down his faith and heart. It was you who drove him into utter despair and turned his heart to stone! And now you, and your friends, will die for it!"

Harnad stopped, with wild anger in his eyes, and signaled the guards forward. They roughly grabbed Aragorn by his upper arms and forced him to his knees.

"Stop!" Aragorn cried. "I did nothing of the sort and the palantir I have was discovered in Orthanc, by a hobbit! I always greatly respected Denethor, and I certainly didn't want to kill him!"

"So your friends did assist you! I thought as much. So the hobbit Peregrin brought you your chief tool. Or was it the other one, who came from Rohan? No matter. All of them will suffer for the torment you unleashed on our just Lord!"

"No!" Aragorn shouted. He began struggling as hard as he could, but to no avail. One of the guards simply kicked him in the chest. Aragorn bent over, the breath knocked out of him. He was sure at least one rib had been broken by the man's metal clad foot. "Please! If you must take revenge, do so, but leave my friends alone! They did nothing to you!"

"Oh, it is too late for that! What would you say if you knew that some of your friends have already been brought to us, hmm?" Harnad said, a wicked smirk on his face.

Aragorn lifted his head, a fierce light in his eyes.

"You lie." He spat, despite the pain in his head that had again flared up.

"Do I then? Well, no matter. It is time to pay! But what shall we use…ah, here it is." Harnad fished around in his pocket, at last dragging out a knife. A long, curved white knife with a bone handle. Legolas's knife. Aragorn stopped struggling and stared in shock.

"No…" he whispered softly. Harnad grinned.

"What did I tell you? Now, it is time for the ceremony to begin." With that he again dug around in his pocket, and discovered a small vial of clear liquid. Aragorn started and realized that it was some kind of poison and that it was going on the blade. He mentally began going through all of the poisons he knew, and their antidotes. But his thoughts were cut short when Harnad lunged forward, blade dripping with the poison, and made a deep slash on the left side of his torso.

Aragorn writhed in agony, fighting back the urge to scream. He had been cut before, but nothing like this. It felt as if his very skin was being repeatedly stabbed by sharp torches. And before he had a chance to recover, it came again, this time on his right side. The pain, if possible, doubled and Aragorn struggled in vain, his mind bent only on escaping his torment. And Harnad's voice again ripped through his thoughts.

"Do you feel it? This is what you put our lord against when you condemned him to the flames of death. Beg for mercy and perhaps it will end!"

Aragorn somehow mustered the strength to look his tormenter straight in the eye. He still had his pride, if nothing else.

"Never." He whispered. But the knife returned, this time to his right arm, his sword arm. A deep gash now decorated the upper half. But he hardly noticed the damage, so great was his pain. And before he could somewhat regain himself, the blade struck multiple parts at once, his upper left arm, and the tops of both his legs. Aragorn could control himself no longer and struggled as hard as he could, which was still surprisingly effective, considering his current state.

"Hold him, you fools! Put him on his back. There is one cut left to make." Aragorn, hearing this, fought even harder, until one of the knights punched him directly on the cut on his right arm. The iron gauntlets only increased the fresh wave of agony and he remained still for all of two seconds. But it was enough. The knife came down across the left side of his face, creating a gash from forehead to chin. But Aragorn could hold on no longer. He began to slip into unconsciousness, which he blissfully welcomed as an escape from the pain of living. His last sight was of Harnad's monstrous, leering face saying,

"Long live the king."

**Well there you go! Personally, I had all the fun in the world writing it and loved it, but how about you? Tell me in a REVIEW! **

**Next update in about a week, once again depending on REVIEWS! (and how much homework I get)**

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**

**Answers to reviews:**

**viggomaniac: **Thanks for the awesome encouragement! Your review brought a huge smile to my face. Enjoy the new chappie!

**FlamesofthemoOn: **Thanks for that! I know I screwed up the chapters that time. But I fixed it! Enjoy the new update!

**lindahoyland: **Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

**Ainu Laire: **No, it won't be a romance story, but there will be some (more) angst for Aragorn!

**Red Minerva: **Thanks for the encouragement! And the chappie glitch has been repaired!

**Brego Beauty: **Here's your update! Thanx for reviewing!

**Thanks to all of my reviewers! Keep it up!**

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	4. Found

**Hello and welcome back! Here is A Shadow and a Thought, part four, by me, QueenofFlarmphgal. Sorry for the long wait, but my grandma died on the 23rd, so it's been totally hectic over here. But thanks to the faithful reviewers, and enjoy! We have pretty much only Eowyn in this chapter, and a few answers to whom exactly the Faithful are. Answers to reviews at the bottom as usual! Summary/ disclaimer located at first chapter. **

Eowyn slumped into a heap at the bottom of the wall. She had gone over every nook and cranny in the wall and found nothing. She began to doubt herself. Did the men come this way? Was she sure? No, she couldn't be thinking that way. Aragorn needed her. With a sigh, Eowyn pulled herself up and pressed her ear to the stone. And knocked. There was no echo indicating a hidden opening, but for the first time in almost two hours, she heard someone.

"…and Lord Harnad just finished with him. He's holding a meeting now. I expect it'll be to tell us that the treacherous rat is dead now!"

"Well it's about time Bernod. Eru knows how long the Lord Denethor had gone unavenged. It's the third day from his murder, correct?"

"Yes, we got him just in time. Hey, are you leaving? We have to go to the meeting, remember?"

"I know, I know. But Harnad wants me to see if anyone has realized that their captain is gone. I'm to tell 'em that he got called away in the night."

"If you're sure."

"Salkor, if I miss the whole thing, could you cover for me? This may take a while."

"I suppose…Well I have to go. Good luck with your job."

"Thanks- I guess I'll need it." Eowyn pulled her face from the rock. Did these men think that Aragorn had murdered Denethor? And it seemed that he would pay for something he certainly did not do with his life! Suddenly Eowyn realized that the wall was sliding beneath her fingertips. She remembered that the man, Bernod, had to come out to lie to everyone. Eowyn drew her sword and took cover behind a pillar. It would be better if the man did not leave, and perhaps she could use his armor to get in.

The unsuspecting man appeared. The wall appeared to be on wheels, to be rolled back when needed. He began to walk down the hall, but turned around to close the door. All of a sudden, a sword hilt rammed onto his helm. He fell unconscious to the floor, the door remaining open. Eowyn stood over him, feeling slightly remorseful. Hadn't she snuck up on him just as the other men had done to Aragorn? But no, she told herself. I am trying to save him. I am not trying to murder an innocent man.

Guilt disappearing, she bent over the man and removed his armor. As she put on the chest plate (with some difficulty), she realized that she couldn't put on the armor and her skirt. So she took it off (making sure no one was looking) and slipped on the man's jet black breeches, and finished with the armor. Once she was done, she grabbed his arm and shoved him just out of sight behind a large statue.

Eowyn took a deep breath and entered the hidden lair. Then, realizing the door was open, she rolled it shut. There were no men anywhere.

"Probably at the meeting the other one mentioned…" she mused silently to herself. But how would she find Aragorn if there was no one to follow? She began looking around her. To her left there was a passage. To her right there was a storage room of some kind. She entered carefully, sword drawn. There was nobody there, only several crates of something, and a pack hanging on the wall. Eowyn crossed the room and opened the pack. It held a number of useful things, including bandages, a water skin, and several wrapped packages of dried meat. She slung the pack over her shoulder. Aragorn would not be in a good state, wherever he was. The men's casual talk had proved that true.

There was nothing more in the room. She turned to leave when a glitter caught her eye. There! It was Aragorn's sword, Anduril. She carefully picked it up off the ground, admiring the beautiful sheath and carved handle. It went into the pack, sticking out a little at the top. She gazed at the ground, hoping that his dagger was there as well, but there was nothing. Eowyn left the room and headed down the passage. All too soon she heard a loud voice, apparently addressing a large amount of people. She came to a fork. The right way headed toward the voice, while the left was stonily quiet.

Eowyn debated for a moment, and decided to follow the voice. She wanted to find out more about these men, and Aragorn if she could. She pulled the too-big helm down further, stuffing her hair inside of it, and walked down the passage. The man's voice magnified and she recognized it as the one who had taunted Aragorn before capturing him. She rounded the last corner and gaped at the room before her.

It was a huge chamber. There were several tables on the side, and a large pavilion set up at the other end. About 40 or 50 men were in the room, and they were all gazing reverently at the man speaking from the center of the pavilion. Eowyn shrank to a corner, trying to remain unnoticed, and listened to the man speaking.

"…has been avenged. The murderer of our lord is dying as we speak. I personally gave him the seven scars, with a ceremonial blade. The blade, of course had been anointed with our signature poison, invented by our ingenious lord himself. Has the search for him begun?" he questioned the room.

"W-we don't know my lord," a voice stammered and Eowyn realized that this was the man who was covering for the one she had knocked out. "B-Bernod left just a minute ago. He will return as soon as he had the answers we need."

"Very well, then he is excused. But come now, Trinion, have you something to say?"

"A question, my lord," Trinoin replied. He looked like a young man, with dark brown hair and a tall frame. "What does it matter that the murderer's friends search for him? I thought we were going to sacrifice them as well."

"All in good time, yes. But the trouble is, if the others realize he's gone too soon, they will most likely rouse the entire city, and we don't want that. Or at least," a cruel grin stretched his face. "Not yet."

"I have a question as well, my lord." Another young man spoke up. "Why did we not wait until this war with Sauron is over to act for our lord? The one we captured seemed to be a good captain. Why not wait for a victory to destroy him?"

"Fool! Do you not recall what we discussed at our last meeting? The spies reported that they intend to lead our entire army to the Black Gate in order to 'give Frodo a chance'. He doesn't want victory for Gondor! All he wants is her glory. He is in league with the Dark Lord."

"Who's Frodo?" another soldier called out.

"I don't know! Perhaps one of his plans or a player in his plot. This is why we have to act!" his voice echoed over the crowd. "We are the only men who realize what Gondor is about to succumb to! We must squash this rebel and his followers! All who fight for Gondor's freedom, I beg you, speak to me!"

"FOR GONDOR!" all voices cried out. All but one.

Eowyn stood silently in the corner, thoughts running through her head. These men believed Aragorn to be working for Sauron? That was completely absurd! And not only were they blaming Aragorn, but his friends as well? Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin were all in danger. And her brother, too! But the one speaking had spoken of Aragorn dying, or already dead. With his words ringing in her head, she quietly exited the chamber. The meeting looked like it was halfway over already and she wanted nothing more than to find Aragorn and leave. She came back to fork in the passage and took the left hand passage. It was stonily silent, and she sped up, her mind creating vivid holograms of finding Aragorn. Trying to ignore them, she came to a door. She slowed and peered into the small window in the door.

Eowyn let out a soft sigh. The room was empty. She pushed open the door. There was nothing useful either. She left and resumed tearing down the hall. At last she came to a second door. Again, she peered into the window. The only thing in there was a large pile of…clothes? Rags? She decided to see what it was. Eowyn pushed at the door, but it didn't yield. She pushed again. There was no use. The door was locked. But why would anyone lock up a pile of…

Eowyn suddenly grabbed the window. As she trained her eyes on the shape in the corner, she saw it move. Suddenly she sank down to her knees. Aragorn was the motionless shape. How could she get him out? She examined the lock. It was fairly simple. There was a bolt with a padlock on it, but the keyhole was absurdly small. She couldn't pick it, even if she had the proper tools.

Eowyn's gaze floated to the stolen sword. And as soon as that, the solution came. She drew her sword and drove it into the door. Panting from the effort, she carved out the part of the door that had the lock attached to it. When she at last finished the trace, she kicked the door as hard as she could. It flew open without a protest. She hurriedly entered the chamber, horrified at what she saw.

It was small, dark, and it had a terrible scent that only reminded her of one thing. Death. And on the floor…there were bloodstains. Quite a lot. And one long trail of blood that led to the figure on the floor.

She stood over him, suddenly afraid. He had cuts seemingly everywhere. But the worst of which was on his face. It slowly oozed blood that nearly had his entire face covered. It was staunched, however slightly, by a gag bound tightly across his mouth.

She dropped to her knees beside him. Fearing the worst, she checked his pulse. Her heart leaped. He was alive! His heartbeat, however fain, was there and not failing. Enlightened, she bent over him and softly called him back, she hoped, to the living world.

Aragorn was floating. Dreaming in a black landscape, he felt nothing.

But then he heard a voice. It was asking him, begging him to come back to the world of light. He almost didn't want to. Why return when the only thing waiting was pain?

But despite his reasoning, he began to awaken.

The first thing he felt was pain. And a lot of it. Burning stakes were being thrust into his living skin. He moaned softly, out loud. And opened his eyes.

He was instantly startled by a pair of worried grey eyes peering into his. Remembering the pain that he still felt, he tried to inch away from the eyes, but his bonds prevented that. As he took a closer look, he realized that he knew these eyes! It was Eowyn! Dressed in Gondorian armor with a pack next to her, but it was her! Aragorn's eyes widened in shock and he tried to talk through the gag that someone had thoughtfully added.

"Ssh…"Eowyn whispered, trying to comfort him. "I'm going to get you out of here." With that she gently rolled him to his side, despite his groans of pain, and began to fumble with the knots on the gag. It was difficult. As a woman of Rohan, she prided herself on knots, but she hadn't seen anything like these before. After nearly three minutes of pulling she gave up and moved to the next one. It would not yield, and neither would the other. She considered using the sword, but she feared that it was too big and bulky and that she might accidentally hurt him more.

Suddenly Eowyn felt the adrenaline that had kept her going run out. She slumped to her knees. "I'm sorry Aragorn…I-I can't undo them." She paused, ready for his look of defeat, but there was no such expression on his face. Amid the pain in his eyes, he was focusing on his right boot. His gaze flickered to Eowyn, then returned to his boot.

She was puzzled. Was there something wrong with it? She made her way to his boot and carefully felt it. There didn't seem to be an injury, so why- Oh! There it was, the outline of a dagger! She instantly reached into the boot and drew it out. Perfect!

She quickly began cutting Aragorn's bonds and gag. He hissed sharply in pain as the blood began rushing back into his injured limbs. His tunic was soaked with blood, and his face was still covered with it. The wound on his face had instantly begun bleeding again when the gag was removed.

Aragorn gasped for breath. Now that his limbs were no longer numb, the pain, if possible, multiplied. He saw Eowyn's face come closer.

"T-thank you." He murmured, hoping she would hear. She did, and her face softened.

"Here." She said, drawing out from the pack the bandages, water skin, and a few pieces of material. "Let's bandage you for now, or at least until we can properly examine you in the House of-"She suddenly cut short, realizing that that was exactly where she was supposed to be right now. Aragorn grinned.

"I'm sure…you'll be alright. I can…vouch for you." His response was somewhat stretched out, but Eowyn understood and reached for the bandages. She quickly reached for his arm and began winding the bandage tightly around it, until a short cry of pain interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, but it must be done! You've lost too much blood already!" she quickly said.

"D-don't wrap them too…too tightly. There was something on the blade…healers need to identify." Aragorn sputtered, holding his arm and trying not to moan or cry out again. Eowyn nodded, remembering what the man had said at the meeting about a poison. She wrapped the rest of his cuts, up until she got to the one on his face. She paused, unsure of how to wrap the bandage. Aragorn, realizing this, said,

"Just give me a piece of…a piece of cloth. I can put pressure on…myself and stop the…the bleeding."

Eowyn handed it to him and stood back, admiring her work. Suddenly she remembered. The meeting was bound to be over now. She rushed to Aragorn' side.

"We must go, now! The men will return any second!" Aragorn nodded and slowly pulled himself up. He was fighting a losing battle against the pain from his wounds and he longed to cry out. Eowyn gently took his arm and put it across her shoulders, steadying him. Looking at the floor, she remembered something. She picked up Anduril and refastened it around Aragorn's waist. He instantly felt stronger and safer with his sword at his side. "Can you walk?" She murmured.

"Yes…I must." Aragorn replied. He took a step and felt the pain running up his leg. He cursed inwardly as he kept walking, feeling like his legs were on fire. Leaning on Eowyn more and more, they made there way down the passage. Once they passed the fork in the hall, Eowyn quickly doubled back, sticking her head in the doorway.

"They're concluding. We must hurry!" She grabbed Aragorn's arm, forgetting about his injury for a second. Aragorn responded with a low moan of pain, grabbing his arm in agony. Ewoyn immediately realized what she did. "I'm so sorry!" she said, inwardly cursing herself for forgetting.

"S'alright…didn't mean to." Aragorn replied, moving forward. They finally reached the end of the passage way. Eowyn reached out to open the door when Aragorn grabbed her arm. "They have…Legolas's knife…must find him…quickly." Eowyn didn't stop what she was doing.

"I didn't see him anywhere. It's possible that someone just stole his knife. But even if they do have him, you are in no condition to save him. We will look for him and return if he is missing as soon as you're taken care of." Eowyn rolled back the door and made sure no one was there. She started across the chamber. As they reached the King's seat, Eowyn grabbed the bundle behind it. "Here." She said quietly, putting it in Aragorn's other hand. His expression clouded as he remembered the details of only a few hours ago. His face was set grimly as Eowyn gently helped him out of the Citadel. It was about dawn. The guards were changing posts, so she was able to steal past them and made her way to the Houses.

"We made it, Aragorn! We're safe!" Eowyn smiled, looking back at him. But her smile quickly disappeared. Aragorn had collapsed, and there were seven growing stains across his body.

**Dun dun dun…ha ha! Sorry, but here's a lovely cliffie! Wheee! Next chapter probably up around…the 17th. School is hectic and I have three major projects to work on. But REVIEW! Tell me what you think! PLEASE!**

**Answers to reviews:**

**Leela74: **Sorry, but I have no idea whatsoever on how to put on the 'accept anonymous reviews' button. Anyone know? Tell me! And thank you so much for signing in and reviewing! I appreciate it! And thanks for your awesome support!

**viggomaniac: **You are such a nice reviewer! Thanks! And I totally agree that there are awesome Aragorn angst stories on this site (even though there's not enough). And I also agree that there is too much Legolas. Anyway, here's more Eowyn and an update!

**AinuLaire: **YAY! ANGST! YAY! Thanks for your review, and don't worry, I plan to have LOTS more angst! YAY ANGST!

**Thanks everyone! Keep reviewing! See ya on the next chapter! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	5. A Deadly Poison

**Welcome back to the story! I've been totally excited all week. I just got the Fellowship of the Ring, Collector's Edition. Of course, I already own the EE, so…anyone want a new movie?**

**And of course…STAR WARS TODAY! YAY! YAY YAY YAY! I am a total Star Wars fan, even though I'm not obsessed (evil grin)…yet.**

**Anyway, back to the story…here's some more angst, and maybe we will find out what happened to Legolas! Maybe…oh, and more angst!**

"Aragorn!" Eowyn cried and instantly knelt at his side. To her relief, he was still breathing, but whatever was the poison was, it seemed to be taking effect. He was awake, but his breathing had become labored and his eyes were frantically darting from side to side.

"Help me…" he whispered in a pained breath. Eowyn was seriously scared. She tried to lift him, but he was too heavy. If only someone else was there…

"Hold on," she told him. "I need to get help." Aragorn just nodded. Before she left, Eowyn pulled him into a sitting position against a pillar. Suddenly he gasped for breath, his hand coming to his chest. Eowyn panicked. "Just take deep breaths…it'll be alright…deep breaths." Slowly his breathing returned, but it was even more labored than before.

"Get…Gandalf…should be with…ha-halflings." Aragorn panted, his eyes meeting hers. Eowyn quickly nodded and left him. She dashed through the corridors of the Houses, sticking her head in every other room. When she finally got to Merry's, she paused, regaining her breath. She pushed open the door, finding Gandalf laughing merrily with Pippin, obviously about a joke. Merry looked up and saw her.

"Good morning, my lady! Wait, is something wrong?" he asked, concern dawning in his eyes.

"Aragorn," she managed to gasp. Gandalf stood up.

"What has happened to him? Tell me!" he asked in a thundering voice, grasping her shoulders.

"He has been attacked…poisoned." She said quickly, trying to make up for lost time.

Gandalf's face visibly turned white. "Take me to him! Hurry!" Eowyn nodded, tearing once more down the corridors with Gandalf, Pippin close on his heels. At last, they came to where Aragorn was sitting, one hand pressed to his face and the other supporting his chest. Eowyn sighed, glad that he was no worse. But Gandalf and Pippin were distraught.

"Strider! What's wrong? Can you hear me?" asked Pippin finally, trying to look into his eyes.

"I'll be...alright…Pippin. Where is…Gandalf?" Aragorn stammered, craning his head and looking around.

"I'm here, my lad. Now come on, we're getting you inside." Gandalf knelt and easily scooped Aragorn into his arms, sword and all. But Aragorn clutched at his chest and cried out in pain.

"Gandalf, he has been severely injured on his chest, arms, legs, and face. He has to lie down!" Eowyn said worriedly. She led the way into the Houses, and opened the first door she got to.

"Wait," said Pippin, who was hovering nervously beside Gandalf. "Can we put him in Merry's room? I'm sure he's terribly worried…"

"No, Pippin," said Gandalf while carefully placing Aragorn on the bed. "But you can bring Merry here. I am also sure he will want to see what's wrong." Pippin nodded and left. Gandalf turned to Eowyn. "Now, milady, were you infected with this?" Eowyn dumbly shook her head. "Do you know what he has been infected with?" She shook her head again miserably.

"I do." Said an unexpected voice from the bed. Aragorn had regained himself, partly. "Gandalf…it was…Naiceleanar…on…the knife." At these words, Gandalf visibly paled, and for a moment his face matched his robes.

"Alright," he said, color returning a bit. "Aragorn, do you know what stage you are in?" Aragorn slumped, and mumbled, "Two."  
"Oh Valar…My lady, fetch the Warden. And some…well, erm, oak leaves for the pain. Hurry!" Gandalf directed, instantly starting a roaring fire in the grate.

"But wait! What's Naicelenar? Will he live?" Eowyn questioned, frightened of the seriousness of his gaze.

"My lady, it all depends on what herbs Gondor has. Now run! Fetch the Warden!" Eowyn obeyed, sprinting out of the door. But she came to a screeching halt as she passed her room. The Warden was there, along with two healers.

"…now are you sure you don't know how she left? Because there is a guard missing a sword as well, and if you know who's behind this…" the Warden was saying, gesturing to the staw-filled bed. Eowyn ran up to him, fully aware that she was still in the armor and wearing a sword.

"My lord, I need your help! The lord Ar-"

"Now what were you doing! You had strict orders to stay in that bed!"

"Please, my lord-"

"And why are you wearing armor?"

"MY LORD, ARAGORN IS DYING!" the words left her mouth before she could think. Sure, Gandalf hadn't said so, but she could read it in his eyes. The Warden froze, mouth ajar.

"Show me." He said. Eowyn at once complied and the Warden followed, leaving two very confused women behind. Once they arrived at the room, they nearly tripped over Pippin, who was guarding the door. As soon as he saw it was them, he stood aside and let them in without a word. Eowyn instantly saddened at the sight before her.

Merry was sitting on the bed, whispering softly into Aragorn's ear. Aragorn was still panting, but whatever Merry was saying was calming him and there was a small, painful smile on his face. Eowyn was touched. Aragorn was clearly smiling to ease Merry's worrying. Gandalf, however, had removed his shirt, and the gashes looked even more terrible that Eowyn had remembered. They had looked bad before, but now, surrounding the cuts an inflamed red border. Gandalf looked up and hurried to them.

"Master Healer, the lord Aragorn has been infected with a rare poison known only among the elves as Naiceleanar. It causes instant death if inflicted on an elf, but on a man it causes very high fever, weakness, and shortness of breath. Eventually, though it brings a fatal lung infection. We must work as fast as we can." The Warden swallowed and came to Aragorn's bedside. He felt his forehead, and almost withdrew his hand. It was blazing hot, dangerously high.

"Master Gandalf, before we do anything we must stop, or at least slow the bleeding and get his fever down. My lady, you know where the herbs are. Fetch me dandelion root, marigold leaves, and the leaf called feverfew. Hurry!" Eowyn quickly complied and hurried down the corridor, wondering how many times today she would do this. She selected the correct herbs and rushed back.

The healer had already put a damp washcloth on Aragorn's forehead, and was busily putting pressure on his chest to stop the bleeding. Aragorn's teeth were gritted. Sweat poured down his forehead. And above all, he was still gasping for breath. The Warden saw Eowyn had returned and quickly said, "Quickly now, give me the dandelion. Good, good. Now make him a tea with the marigold. There is boiling water over there. And Master Gandalf, could you please break up the feverfew? He needs to eat them to bring down the fever. Hurry!"

They instantly complied. While Eowyn made the tea, the Warden was busily crushing the marigold and mixing it with water. Once he had a thick paste, he smeared lengthy amounts all over Aragorn's chest. Aragorn arched his back and cried out in pain. The Warden took no notice and went on to apply it to the cuts on his arms. Aragorn managed it a little better, but his teeth were gritted again and his eyes were squeezed shut, trying to block out the pain. Merry was starting to worry and grasped Aragorn's hand, whispering into his ear. Aragorn did not relax, but a small smile returned to his face. But when Gandalf approached with the leaves, he moaned and turned his head away. Gandalf lost patience.

"Aragorn, you are going to eat this! I need not count how many times you received it from Lord Elrond!" At this Aragorn truly smiled, as if remembering old times with his friends and brothers. But his smile instantly disappeared as the Warden added the poultice to his arms. He hissed through his teeth, his last attempt to get the pain under control. But when Gandalf shoved the leaves into his mouth, he did not refuse. Seeing that Aragorn was in tremendous pain, Eowyn added the oak leaves she had found to the tea. But as soon as he drank it (with a grimace), his eyes closed and he slumped back onto the pillow.

"Aragorn!" she cried, nearly strangling him in an attempt to check his pulse. But he was alive and seemed to have passed into a deep unconsciousness.

"Enough!" the Warden told her. "I saw you add the oak to the tea. No, you did no wrong, but without the pain anchoring him here, he drifted away. Hopefully, he will awake after a while. But Gandalf, tell me: Is there a cure to this deadly poison? The fever will go down, and the bleeding has stopped, but will he recover?" Gandalf turned sadly to Aragorn's face.

"I know not. Aragorn is the only one who has any experience with the poison, which is how he knew what it was. And what I know came from him. And as far as I know, only he knows the cure, if there is one. We must wake him."

"We can help!" came a small voice from the bed. Merry was hunched over Aragorn's still form, grasping his hand. And Pippin, who had rushed in when he heard the shouts, grabbed Aragorn's other hand. "Wake up, Strider!" he said, trying to sound as energetic as possible. "Come on! We need you! Wake up!" But to his and Merry's displeasure, Aragorn showed no signs of hearing them and his breathing became even more labored.

"Here, Merry, let me try." Gandalf said. He leaned forward and grasped Aragorn's hand and chanted in a strange tongue, "Aragorn, coiv, coiv! Hotule' ello mornie!" Then, to the others' surprise, Aragorn's eyelids fluttered.

"Ada?" he whispered uncertainly.

"No, Aragorn. But you must tell us. How can we cure the poison Naicelenar?" Gandalf pressed, coming out of his trance. Aragorn did not reply. In his face, besides the pain, there was a look of deep concentration.

"You must…take t-the herb aseanen…put in bloodstream…affected area." He paused and took several deep breaths, despite the pain wracking in his system. "Reapply…every two hours." His eyes closed and for a moment they thought he would reawaken, but he slumped and resumed his heavy breathing. Gandalf turned to the Warden.

"Tell me, lord," he said softly. "Do you have the herb Aseanan, known to Men as the water-leaf? For if you don't, all is lost." The Warden was locked in deep thought, pondering the contents of his medicines. But suddenly his face lit up in a grin Eowyn thought lit up the room.

"Yes!" he cried. "Yes, we most definitely stock the water-leaf! Valar be praised! Now the House can hope to redeem itself for not having the previously needed herbs! I will fetch them! Valar be praised!" He ran out of the room, leaving behind four very shocked but joyful beings. Eowyn grabbed Merry and swept him into a trembling hug, while Pippin embraced Gandalf, who remained still with shock on his face. About a minute later the Warden returned, beaming and carrying several leaves of aseanan. He quickly unwrapped the bandages and placed generous amounts of the leaf on each cut, finishing with the one on Aragorn's face. This last one generated a reaction, even though it was only a shudder running through his body.

"What do we do now?" Eowyn asked impatiently. Gandalf chuckled and sat in a chair he had drawn by Aragorn's bedside.

"We wait, my lady! But you might want to take off that rather bloody armor, hmm?" Eowyn looked down at herself and blushed. There was indeed a large amount of Aragorn's blood staining the chest plate. When she was halfway out the door, she called back,

"It he awakens, one of you had better come fetch me!"

"We definitely will, my lady!" called Merry, who had jumped back on the bed and was now sitting next to Pippin, opposite Aragorn's head. "Now what was I saying? Oh right! So a man, an elf, and a goblin walk into a bar..." Eowyn smiled to herself and walked back to her room.

About half an hour later, Aragorn began to stir. Eowyn, Merry, and Pippin all leaned expectantly over the bed. At last, his eyes opened.

"Merry? Pippin?...Eowyn? Where am I?" he mumbled, looking around the room for something familiar. Eowyn pushed him back down with a grin.

"You are in the Houses of Healing, and it seems you have just recovered from a nasty infliction of Naicelenar. How do you feel?"

"Feel?" Aragorn said incredulously. "I feel fine!" Merry laughed.

"Okay, then. Looks like you just need to walk and you'll be ready to go" Aragorn nodded.

"I agree." With that he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"NO!" cried Gandalf, Eowyn, Merry, and Pippin together. Aragorn ignored them.

"I have to find Legolas." He said quickly. Merry frowned.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because the men who hurt me might have captured him already." Aragorn replied, not seeing the look of confusion across Merry's face. He got of the bed and unsteadily walked to the door. After pausing at the door handle, he regained his feet and left.

"Wait!" Eowyn cried, catching up behind him. "With you so vulnerable right now, the men might try to recapture you!" Aragorn nodded and drew his sword. Together they made their way to the small room that Aragorn had been sharing with Legolas and Gimli. But when they opened the door, a terrible sight greeted them.

There was no one there. But instead, there was a mess. Tables and chairs were overturned. A vase was smashed. And on the floor lay Gimli's favorite axe, with blood on the shaft. Aragorn sank to his knees and moaned sadly.

"Alas that my friends must suffer! Suffer for something that I didn't even do! I fear that they too have been captured. We must go after them! If one drop of that poison gets inside Legolas, he will surely die!" He rose unsteadily and leaned against a wall. Eowyn thought she could see tears sparkling in his eyes. She took his arm gently.

"We will save them. We just need a good disguise! But before we go, we have to tell Gandalf what's going on so he can protect Merry and Pippin." Aragorn nodded sadly. Before he left the room, though, he retrieved Gimli's axe.

"I will return this to him." He said quietly. And together, Aragorn and Eowyn left the room, ready to risk all odds- again.

**TBC**

**Well there's the next chapter! Sorry I was so late putting it up, but since it's the end of the year EVERY SINGLE ONE of my teachers decided to give out a 300 point or more assignment. But next chapter up around the…27th? Oh, and my birthday is June 1. See if you can guess how old I am going to be! IN A REVIEW! **

**Please?**

**Answers to reviews:**

**viggomaniac: Thanks for the awesome feedback! I love writing about, or just imagining Aragorn torture (gets dreamy look). And yes, I have read Timmy2's Castle. I totally love it! ATTENTION PEOPLE READING THIS: READ CASTLE BY TIMMY2**

**Leela74: Thanks for the support- and the review. I hate signing in too- why do I have to type out my entire email address anyway?**

**Ainu Laire: Yay! Support! And you're right! Working for Sauron? rolls eyes I think Aragorn may have to teach these guys a lesson for messing with his friends. Hopefully, nothing will happen to Legolas…evil grin**

**Thanks for reviewing everyone! Keep it up! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	6. Out of the frying pan

**Hello, and welcome back! I actually finished all of my homework! YAY! So I decided to get this chapter up already! **

**OMG, Star Wars 3 was AWESOME! Between the Jedi-killing spree and the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan…SPECTACULAR! **

**But LOTR was of course, better. **

**Anyway, in this chapter Gandalf finally finds out what's going on, Aragorn and Eowyn for some reason go back into the Faithful lair, and find a surprise! And more angst! **

Gandalf stared at the door that Eowyn had just disappeared through. He turned to Merry and Pippin.

"Do either of you know what is happening?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. And he didn't receive one, as Merry had just told Pippin another bar joke. But then his answer walked slowly into the room. Aragorn, supported by Eowyn, entered and sat heavily on the bed that he had left less than seven minutes ago.

"What is it?" Merry asked, a trace of fear in his voice. "Didn't you find Legolas?" Aragorn sighed mournfully.

"No, Merry. Both Legolas and Gimli have been captured." Pippin jumped up, panic written all over his face.

"Captured? By who? Why? We have to save them!" he said quickly. Aragorn smiled shakily.

"Hold on, little one. First let me tell you who. They were captured by corrupted Men of Gondor. Their captain is called Harnad. It is he who inflicted these wounds on me. He did this I think because he thinks I am the one who drove Denethor to madness, as I have in my possession a palantir. He wishes to make me die for this, and also all of the people who aided me in this supposed crime. Including Legolas and Gimli, and yourself. But I do not know anything else-"

"I do." Eowyn said unexpectedly. Aragorn looked at her, astonished. She blushed and continued. "Before I could find Aragorn, I attended a short meeting of the Faithful. They spoke of much, but it is clear that they think you are a…a servant of Sauron. They think that you want to assume the kingship in order to use Minas Tirith as one of Sauron's outposts- like Minas Morgul."

Gandalf sat down, too shocked to speak. How could he not know this?

"Where?" he stammered.

"In the throne room. Behind the walls there is a secret opening to the hideout." Answered Eowyn.

"So now you know. But I must go back." Aragorn said, standing up.

"But wait!" Merry said. "You cannot mean to go back there! You are already hurt!"

"I know!" he replied with steel in his eyes. "But if any trace of that poison gets on Legolas, he will die. And Gimli I am not sure about, but they must be rescued." With that he spun on his heel and headed for the door. But before he left, he whispered to Gandalf, "Please, my friend, guard the Halflings. I would never forgive myself if something happened…to either of them." Gandalf nodded and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We will be here when you return. But take care of yourself. I don't want to tell the healer that you got yourself banged up again!" Aragorn smiled and left. Eowyn followed, putting the armor back on.

When Aragorn began in the direction of the throne room, Eowyn laughed and steered him around.

"You don't expect them to let you walk in just like that, do you? We must find you some armor before we go in." Aragorn nodded and instead turned to a guard that looked like he had just come off duty.

"Pardon me, captain, but could I borrow your armor? It is very important to me and Master Gandalf that we get a full set." The captain bowed and stammered,

"Um, of course my lord." He immediately began stripping off his armor and handing the pieces to Eowyn, who was trying hard not to laugh. When they were finished, the poor man was left standing in his underclothes in the middle of the Citadel.

"Thank you, soldier. We will return this to you tomorrow." Aragorn clapped the soldier on the back before beckoning Eowyn behind a pillar where he donned the armor. Suddenly he scanned the ground and came up with a red flower.

"Your armor still has the red 'X'. Could you put it on mine?' Eowyn nodded and quickly did do. And together, they made their way into the Throne Room.

It was empty, save for one lone servant who was reverently looking for something. She looked up as they entered.

"Have you seen the Lord Steward? He should be here right now!" she said, while looking behind the throne.

"He is in the Houses of Healing, still recovering." Eowyn answered, trying to deepen her voice and seem more like a man. The servant immediately rushed past them and out of the room.

"Where is the passage?" Aragorn asked. He was already at the side wall, looking for an entrance. Eowyn hurried over.

"I don't exactly know how to open it. Last time someone came out and I was able to get in." But Aragorn didn't reply. He was already carefully examining the stones on the wall. He looked up with a grin, or as close as one could get with a cut on the face.

"I found it." He said simply. Eowyn gaped.

"How did you get it so fast? I examined it for at least an hour before I was able to enter!" Aragorn shrugged.

"It was part of my training to identify secret codes and locks. This is the kind of lock I would find in a…orc den." He looked troubled for a moment and it seemed a flash of pain flickered in his eyes. Eowyn could only wonder what horrors he had seen or suffered inside an orc lair. But it passed and Aragorn pressed hard on one stone. It went deep into the wall and there was a resounding click. A section of the wall rolled away. Aragorn checked for other soldiers before rolling the door open the rest of the way.

There was still no one in sight. In fact, the corridor was completely empty, as far as they could see.

"Perhaps the soldiers only met at night. During the day they have to attend to their shifts, I would guess." Aragorn said slowly, voicing the thoughts of both of them. "Where were the cells?" Eowyn started down the corridor. After walking for quite a while, they came to the cell that Aragorn had previously been in. It was empty, except for Aragorn's coat, which actually made it look like someone was in there. Aragorn quickly turned away, peering down the corridor. "I don't like this. It feels too empty. At least a few men should be here." Eowyn nodded and continued walking. After a while they came to a fork. There appeared to be nobody either way.

"We should split up," Said Eowyn at last. "I don't like being alone here, or you being alone, but if we are to find them we must move faster." Aragorn reluctantly agreed.

"I will take the left. If you should find them…promise me you will get them out first. There is a chance that they were more grievously wounded than I. I do not wish them to die for something that is my affair."

"Aragorn…" Eowyn started. But when she saw the determination in his eyes, she knew better than to protest. "Alright. I promise."

"Agreed. Good luck." Aragorn said quickly. He instantly turned to the left and resumed walking, picking up his pace slightly. Eowyn looked back at him for a moment, and then disappeared down her corridor, drawing her sword.

Aragorn sped down the corridor. He had an uneasy feeling that he had chosen the way with the soldiers. He had not voiced this to Eowyn only because she was worried enough already.

Suddenly he doubled over and clutched at his chest, panting. He quickly remembered the man kicking him in the chest, and wondered vaguely how many ribs were broken. The pain had been…manageable, but now it was killing him.

Aragorn leaned against the wall for support, trying to control his breathing. Legolas needed him, and now was not the time to collapse. He grimly noted that he had been in this same position about ten years ago…

The sound of a door slamming jerked him out of his thoughts. He straightened, wincing, and peered down the corridor ahead of him. There was another corner, but he could see shadows moving around, talking. Aragorn crept closer, silently drawing his sword. He managed to catch a stream of words coming from what was no doubt a cell around the corner, and from a voice he knew only too well.

"Yes, the ranger is dead. Don't look at me like that. You are perfectly aware of what he did- what you helped him do! But do not worry. You will be joining him soon."

Aragorn did not stop to think. He tore around the corner and toward the cell on the right. There was only one guard at the door. Aragorn took advantage of his surprise and drove Anduril into his breast plate. The shining blade easily went through the armor and into the man's heart. He instantly died. Aragorn pulled out his sword, only thinking for a moment that he would kill no more men of Gondor, corrupted as they were. The moment passed and he yanked open the door.

Legolas was on his knees, bound and gagged, between two guards. Harnad was poised directly above him, facing the door. In his hand was Aragorn's dagger, the blade covered in a shining clear liquid. Aragorn stepped forward. Harnad saw him and instantly went white as a ghost.

"Y-you…you were…" He stammered. Aragorn smirked at him.

"Not until I kill you." He said slowly, bringing his sword up for attack. But before he could move, Harnad quickly shouted,

"You two! Quickly! Kill him!" At this the guard wheeled around, bringing Legolas with them. The two quickly dropped him and drew their swords, charging in on him. Aragorn tore his eyes from Legolas's still form and parried a blow from one of them. As he whirled around, he saw thatLegolas had a bleeding gash on his forehead. A new anger rose inside him and he switched from defence to offence, driving the guards forward, trying to get to Harnad. But fighting two skilled guards was not easy, even for him. Whenever one would attack his left, the other would attack his right. Once only, he missed a parry and a strong blow came on his chest, slicing open the thin shirt and enhancing a steady blood flow from a new cut. Finally he managed to crack one on the head, and he fell to the ground. Legolas inched forward, trying to reach the man's sword and cut his bonds.

But Aragorn had forgotten Harnad. He had been cowering in a corner, watching the fight with an occasional "Come on! Get him!" or "To the right, you fool!" But when Aragorn had brought one down, he also started forward, Aragorn's dagger still in his hand. It only took one shot…

Aragorn struck another blow, only to have it parried back at him. He growled in frustration. This was getting old, and what about Harnad? Suddenly he remembered. He still had the poisonous dagger! With renewed vigor, Aragorn fought back and slammed the man against the stone wall. Panting, he turned and found Harnad on the other side of the room, dagger cocked and aimed at a figure trying uselessly to free himself.

**Dun dun dun….**

**Sorry! Had to have another cliffy! And sorry about being late! My Interned was screwed MOST OF TODAY, YESTERDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND TUESDAY! That's four whole days! I nearly died. But I watched FOTR and was better. **

**Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! I decided instead of waiting days, I will wait for…five reviews. SO if you want to see what happens, make people review! **

**Answers to reviews…**

**viggomaniac: **Yes, so now Legolas and Gimli need rescuing. And poor Aragorn is hurting again…sure hope nothing happens to Merry/Pippin/Gandalf evil grin Thanks for reviewing!

**Leela74: **Yes, Star Wars ROCKED! My favorite character is Obi-Wan. Poor guy…his 'brother' turning to the dark side…Only thing I didn't like was the lame R2-D2 humor and the droids saying 'ow' and stuff. And other than this one, I think Phantom Menace is my favorite. Qui-Gon rocks my socks!

**lindahoyland: **Yes, Aragorn is in trouble. Good thing he has his own personal hobbits telling bar jokes! Thanks for reviewing!

**THANKS for reviewing! I look forward to hearing from you again! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	7. Back into the fire

**Hello everybody! **

**Got this chapter up early because…NO MORE SCHOOL! NO MORE HW! NO MORE CREEPY SCIENCE TEACHER! YAY!**

**And…YESTERDAY WAS MY BIRTHDAY! WOOT! 14 YEARS OLD! **

**So I decided to give my reviewers a present. I'm so nice, huh! **

**Anyway, in this chapter, SOMEONE gets hit with an infected dagger, Eowyn finds Gimli, and Gandalf realizes that protecting two panicked hobbits is not easy…**

Aragorn froze, only pausing for a second. Panicked eyes swept the cell for anything to intercept the knife's path. Then he realized. The only barrier would be _him._

Without a second thought, he lunged toward Legolas just as the dagger left Harnad's hand.

Harnad smiled as he watched the elf fiddle with the clumsy sword in his bound hands. It would be an easy kill. Since the leader had proved himself immune to the poison (however possible), the least he could do was kill one of his minions. His smile grew wider as he pulled the dagger back a bit further, and released.

Suddenly a black blur obscured Harnad's vision of the elf. He blinked and was shocked to see Aragorn on his hands and knees, directly where the elf had been a second ago. He turned his head and saw the surprised elf on the edge of the chamber, clearly dazed. As he watched, Aragorn slowly rolled over. Then Harnad understood. Aragorn's own dagger protruded directly from his left shoulder.

Aragorn looked slowly down at himself and smiled faintly. He had countered this once before, and Legolas was safe. But that didn't make it hurt any less. He felt the familiar burning sensation of his skin, and the pain in his ribs had doubled, if that was possible. But he stiffly pulled himself to his feet and faced Harnad, who was cowering disbelievingly in the corner.

"Never again will you harm me…or my friends." As he drew up his blade, he added, "May you find peace in…Mandos' halls." And he swept Anduril down, piercing the man's heart. Harnad's last vision was a tall, wise, merciful king standing over him.

A small movement brought Aragorn out of his moment. Legolas was struggling against his bonds. Kneeling carefully, he quickly cut Legolas' bonds and removed the gag. But to his surprise, there were tears glittering in Legolas' eyes.

"Mellon nin, what is wrong? Are you hurt? Is it your head? That cut looks

bad-"

"No," Legolas cut in waveringly. "The man, who captured us…he told me…" He looked up at Aragorn with a heart wrenching look. "He told me you were dead. And I…I believed him. Because on the way in, we…we passed your cell. You were so still, and you hardly drew breath." He looked up again. "I was so afraid, Estel. It was like…the before. I knew that I had failed you."

"Legolas," Aragorn interrupted tenderly. He opened his arms and Legolas embraced him, sighing while avoiding his wounded shoulder. "You never failed me. I am here, and alive, and so are you." They remained locked in memories and friendship for several minutes before Legolas remembered something.

"Your shoulder!" he gasped. "There was something on the blade…a poison…"

"No, I'm fine…I'll be alright. L-leave the dagger in…otherwise I will lose a lot of blood." Aragorn gasped as he pulled himself up using the wall. He wasn't telling the _entire_ truth, but he would be alright. But they had to leave. Now, if they could.

"But let me tend…your forehead."

"Nay, Estel." Legolas answered, grinning. "You are far worse off than me. If you do not require instant aid, then neither do I. Come. Let us leave." Aragorn nodded and started to the door. But suddenly the pain in his legs inflamed and he stumbled, and would have fallen if Legolas had not caught him. He laughed.

"'Fine' are you! I think our definitions may be different, mellon nin."

"It's not my fault," Aragorn argued as he exited the chamber, leaning heavily on Legolas. "If Harnad didn't poison me before, then I wouldn't have leg pains-" He abruptly stopped. Legolas was staring at him, a horrified expression on his face.

"You were poisoned before this?"

"Well, yes, but the healers-"

"And you came BACK?'

"Well I had to stop them and-"

"So you throw yourself in front of a poisoned dagger, to save me and- Oh no! Gimli!" Legolas visibly paled, and craned his neck to peer into the nearest cell.

"It's alright Legolas. I did not come alone." Aragorn said quickly. Legolas relaxed, but increased their pace a little. But then he paused and looked back again.

"Just a moment- I forgot something." Leaving Aragorn against a wall, he sprinted back into his cell. A second later he emerged, clutching his twin white daggers. Aragorn smiled as he put the arrow pack on his back lovingly. Legolas shot him a furtive glare before coming closer and taking his arm again. "Well, at least you were not wholly reckless. Who else came? Gandalf? Eomer?"

"Actually…Eowyn." Aragorn visibly cringed as Legolas gave him yet another astonished look. "Well, she saved me before and brought me to the healers and helped me get in again and is looking for Gimli now." Aragorn said this very fast and hoped it would satisfy Legolas. But it didn't.

"You are the most reckless human I have ever, EVER met. So you get poisoned, nearly die, then come BACK and bring a wounded woman to help. Sounds brilliant."

Aragorn didn't reply, finding no fitting remark to answer with.

Meanwhile, Eowyn was dashing around the long corridors, frantically looking for Gimli. But after only a few minutes of dashing, she heard footsteps. Terrified, she slowed her steps and tried to act confident and natural. A soldier appeared down the hall, a sheaf of papers in his hand. He spotted her and stepped toward her. Eowyn quickly tried to think of an excuse for being there…

"What are you doing here, soldier? And what is your name?"

"I-I was sent by the L-lord to check on the p-prisoners." Eowyn stuttered and tried to steady her voice. "My name is Enerad."

"Hmmm…very well. Carry on, Enerad." The soldier nodded slightly and kept walking.

"Oh, wait! Could you…could you remind me which cell he was in? The lord told me, but…"

"The short one is in the cell about six doors ahead. Making a right little racket, he was. Rotten troublemaker, he is." The soldier scowled and kept walking. Eowyn waited until he had disappeared from sight before rushing forward and counting doors. When she got to the sixth, she anxiously peered inside.

There was Gimli. But he seemed to be in much better shape than Aragorn had been. There was no trace of a wound, and even though he was gagged, he was only bound by the wrists. Clearly, the Faithful didn't see him as much of a threat. Eowyn grinned at how wrong they were. She then plunged her sword into the wood of the door, carving out the lock. In only about a minute, Eowyn was inside the cell.

Gimli had looked up when a sword appeared in the door, but instantly recognized her when she stepped in. There was a joyful expression on his face, and he was chatting quickly though the gag. Eowyn smiled again and leaned down to free him. She did not worry about hurting him because not only was his skin tougher, he was wearing armor. Once he was free, Gimli rose and bowed.

"My lady, I cannot thank you enough for freeing me. I only wish to find Legolas before we leave…" Gimli suddenly saddened, and looked around the cell as if expecting thee elf appear from wall. Eowyn noted this sadly, while edging him out of the cell. .

"Aragorn came here with me. We had to split up…but I'm sure he found Legolas and is alright. They have quite a history, do they not?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood. They had begun walking down the corridor already. Gimli snorted.

"History? You could call it that. You could also call it sixty years of recklessness, as their families do, or at least what Elrond told me." Eowyn grinned and was about to reply when she heard voices from down the corridor.

"Legolas, I am sure they are on the way. We agreed to meet back here, and here is where we'll stay."

"But what if they were captured again? We have to go look for them!"

"Mellon nin, wouldn't you know if Gimli was in trouble? If you-"

"We're right here you young rascals!" Gimli suddenly called down the corridor. A second later, Legolas came tearing down the corridor. When he saw Gimli he bent down and embraced him warmly. Eowyn decided he was in good shape, except for a cut on his forehead. But she had a feeling that Aragorn wasn't in very good shape. Her suspicions were proved true when she turned the corner. Aragorn was breathing heavily again and leaning against the wall for support. Upon closer inspection, he had acquired a new cut and also had a dagger protruding from his chest. A horrible thought suddenly struck Eowyn. It had to have been at least two hours since he last had the antidote. Was he having a relapse? As she watched him struggle for breath, her mind came to one conclusion.

Yes.

Amid all of this, a very frustrated Gandalf was ready to lose it. He had spent three hours at least trying to keep the hobbits inside the room with him. Gandalf had had to resort to telling some of his own jokes to prevent the hobbits from leaving. But his thoughts were yet again interrupted when Pippin started whining.

"Gandalf, come on! They are all in trouble and they need our help! We must go after them!" Gandalf rolled his eyes and repeated his answer.

"Aragorn and Eowyn can take care of themselves. As can Legolas and Gimli. I am sure they are alright. Anyway, Aragorn wanted me to stay here with you, so that is what we will do." Pippin scowled and flopped on the bed. Merry, understanding his cousin's mind, tried to cheer him up.

"Hey Gandalf, do you know any other jokes? You know, to pass the time…"

Gandalf sighed.

'Hurry up, you four' his mind whispered to them. But he did not know just how long they would be.

**TBC**

**Well, there's the next update! I DID NOT receive the required amount of reviews, but I REALLY wanted to post this. So please review! PLEASE!**

**Answers to reviews:**

**lindahoyland: **Yay! Aragorn angst! Oh yes he is so good! But why does this bad stuff keep happening…thanks for reviewing!

**catwraith: **Here's your update! Thankx for reviewing!

**Dark Borg Drone: **No way! Happy its-your-birthday-in-18-days! Thanks for reviewing!

**Aragorn75: **Here's your update, and a little more angst, soon to GROW! Thanks for reviewing!

**Thanks everyone! Keep it up! Oh, and I'm thinking of writing a prequel…send me your thoughts! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal, updated 6/2/05**


	8. A turn for the worse

**Hello everyone! **

**Well, I got a ton of happy reviews, so I decided to get this chapter up as soon as I could. **

**And NO MORE MEANINGLESS HOMEWORK! **

**So I was able to get this up a little faster. But my grandparents came from Australia and they are probably the only grandparents in the world who know how to use a computer, and I had to share.**

**Sorry…rambling. Here we go! **

**In this chapter we have a nice little fight scene, some more angst, and we get some hobbit action! WoOt! **

Eowyn hurriedly knelt by Aragorn and felt his forehead. Just as she feared, it was steadily climbing.

"What have you been doing?" she scolded as she examined the new cut across his chest. It was only then that Aragorn seemed to realize that she was there.

"Eowyn…did you find Gimli?" he asked while wavering against the wall. Eowyn helped him sit down, being careful of his arm.

"Yes." She replied. "He was just fine, and I only saw one guard on the way. But I guess you fared a little differently, hmm?" Aragorn grinned shakily, but looked troubled.

"Ask…Legolas. And tell them…must get going. The p-poison is catching up again." Eowyn nodded worriedly and caught up to Legolas and Gimli, who were talking softly about something. She found Legolas's arm and squeezed it gently as a new thought occurred to her.

"My lord, we must go. Some soldiers will be leaving their shifts. And Aragorn is getting much worse. I am a bit confused, really. He is already having a heavy relapse, much too fast for my liking. Did anything- "Here she was forced to cut short as Legolas clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Wait. Listen…" He said softly. Eowyn paused and listened, only to hear the sound of at least twenty mail clad feet, headed their way.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Merry was growing more and more agitated, even more so than Gandalf. He _knew_ that the others would run into some sort of trouble. Even Gandalf agreed. He had entertained the hobbits for the last hour by telling them about a few of Aragorn and Legolas's adventures, or as Gandalf put it, mishaps. He and Pippin had listened with fascination as Gandalf vividly described finding Aragorn, Legolas, and Aragorn's adopted brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, severely wounded and tottering around the wild while trying to get home.

But the time had passed, and Gandalf had run out of entertainment. When Pippin actually got up and ran for the door, Gandalf had whacked him with his staff and told him that he would tie him to a chair if he tried anything else. Now Pippin was scowling in a chair, while Gandalf was smoking calmly by the door.

Merry sighed and leaned against the bedpost. But if he had been more alert to his surroundings, he would notice an armed soldier silently creeping toward the window.

A soldier with a red X on his helm.

Eowyn gasped in horror. They had walked into a trap. But before she could say a word, Aragorn appeared in the corridor. His breathing had grown worse, and his wounds had begun bleeding sluggishly.

"The men…coming. Must…leave." Legolas turned paler when he saw his friend.

"Aragorn! What ails you? You were alright just a moment ago! Answer me!" Eowyn watched, shocked, as Legolas seized Aragorn's shoulders and glared into his eyes. His gaze was stern, but Eowyn could detect fear and a thin layer of moisture in his eyes. She approached him and put her arm on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I know…it is the poison. We must leave quickly if we are to heal him. If we are able to get out in about…" Here she looked again at Aragorn's slumped, gasping figure and quickly calculated. "…fifteen minutes, he will have a good chance."

"Then let us not wait." Said Legolas calmly. He knelt and pulled Aragorn into his arms, despite his weak protests, and began walking down the corridor that led to the exit. Legolas tried as hard as he could to be gentle, but every square inch of Aragorn's body burned like fire. Somehow Aragorn held his unending pain and only moaned softly when the dagger was jostled, but that only made Eowyn worry more. She feared he would lose consciousness, and she knew that if he did, he might never waken. She caught up to Legolas and whispered in Aragorn's ear.

"Try to stay awake. It's only a bit farther…" But Aragorn seemed to be in a trance, despite his breathing.

"Eowyn…promise me…do not let…the West fall." He let out a rattled cough. "I am…only a small loss. Do not let…Gondor…Rohan…do not let them fall." Moaning again, Aragorn tried to collect himself, failing miserably. But before he could continue, Legolas came to an abrupt halt. Gimli, who had been quietly following, moved forward and gasped. Because in front of them, barring their only escape, was a unit of soldiers.

With red crosses.

**Please review! And sorry for the short chappie! **

**Answers to reviews:**

**lindahoyland: **Yes, Aragorn will always be the good, self sacrificial guy. That might kill him one day…a sequel hmm? I'll work on that. Thanks for reviewing!

**Dark Borg Drone: **Here's your update: plus an added bonus! A cliffie! Thanks for reviewing!

**Ainu Laire: **blushes Thanks for the compliment! And also thanks for the great advice. I'll try to pace myself a little more. I just love writing stories!

**Petra: **What a great birthday present!turns even brighter red You are so nice! When I read that, I totally danced around the house being all hyper and happy. My mom might not have liked it, but I had a blast! Thanks for reviewing!

**catwraith: **Woot! Thanks for reviewing! And for the good wishes! And yes, here's some angst. And it doesn't stop here!

**Aragorn75: **Tee hee! I know! Aragorn is ADORABLE when he's hurt! hugs his battered form and Aragorn and Legolas have been friends for quite a while, which accounts for the sarcasm. But they love each other (not like THAT you pervs!) Here's your update!

**Thanks SO much for reviewing. They made my day! I hope to hear from you again! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal, updated 6/7**


	9. Running out of time

**WoOt! **

**Here we are again! I meant to update a little later, but I got so many nice reviews, I couldn't wait! **

**And I saw Star Wars again yesterday, so I'm still all hyper. I'm thinking of writing a parody for that. I mean, it's like BEGGING to be made fun of.**

**Anyway, in this chapter we actually do get quite a bit of fighting, on both fronts, meaning with Aragorn and Co., but also with Gandalf&Friends. **

**On with the story! **

The soldier continued his steady climb up the side of the Houses. He could almost reach the window…but he needed to draw his sword before just jumping in. Harnad had warned him that the hobbits also were trained in military arts. But he didn't think they would be much of the threat to his orders. His orders were to kill the Halflings. Finally, he reached the balcony. He soundlessly stood up on it, opened the window, and entered the room, sword held high.

Gandalf took in a large draw of his pipe, thinking hard. Even Aragorn and Legolas wouldn't take this long. What if they had been captured again? And it had surely been more than two hours ago that Aragorn had received the cure. What if he had a relapse? But his thoughts were interrupted as a fully armored man charged through the window.

Gandalf drew his sword in one shining silver sweep.

'The hobbits, Gandalf, where are the hobbits?' He looked around. The man was currently engaged in a duel with Pippin, who had drawn his sword the second the man entered the room. Far from being terrified at being besieged in his own room, Pippin looked like he was fiercely enjoying fighting at last to help Aragorn. Merry had also drawn his sword in his left hand (as his right was still healing) and was dancing around the man, skillfully avoiding the man's blade, but stepping in now and again for a clumsy stab.

Gandalf realized that this must be one of the Faithful, and that he would know where the headquarters were. More importantly, he would know if the others had been recaptured. And after watching Pippin barely avoid a heavy blow to the left, he decided that it had gone on long enough. Since the soldier was distracted, it was easy for Gandalf to sidle behind the man and slip Glamdring under his throat.

"Now," he said sternly. "Let us talk."

Legolas gently set Aragorn down against the wall. Standing protectively over him, Legolas drew his knives and prepared to fight. The soldiers laughed.

"You really think you have a chance, elf?" said the leader gleefully. "There are twenty-four of us, and four of you. And the one you are carrying cannot fight, while another one of you is a woman!" Eowyn scowled and drew her sword. "You cannot win. Put down your weapons before you get yourself and your friends hurt." Legolas's eyes narrowed.

"You will not touch him again, or any of us. Perhaps it is you who should surrender." Eowyn couldn't help but take pride in his faith, but she also couldn't feel the same way. But this was how she wanted to die. Fighting for Aragorn's life was good enough for her. But then she remembered something. She pulled Gimli's axe from her belt and handed it to him.

"Aragorn meant to return this…" she said softly. Gimli took it and nodded, a fierce light in his eyes.

"Have it your way then." The soldier decided. But he whispered in an undertone to his men, "Take them alive. The Master will want them. Charge!"

The soldiers surged forward. Nine took on Legolas, eight on Gimli, and seven to Eowyn. She was not overwhelmed, but she wasn't sure how to defeat them without killing them. As Gimli knocked down several soldier by hitting them in the knees with his axe, Eowyn skittered around them, quickly knocking them unconscious. Their eyes met in an unspoken agreement to work together.

But Legolas was not faring so well. He was a skilled warrior, one of Mirkwood's finest, but taking on nine trained men while trying to defend a fallen comrade was taxing his strength. When he swung his knives one way, a sword would meet it, while three more swords would approach him. Even as he parried, blocked, and turned, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. And even though he stubbornly fought on, he did not detect the sword hilt coming from behind.

Eowyn couldn't believe their luck. Her and Gimli's combined efforts had felled ten of their guards: only five remained. As she knocked another one down, she could not slow the rush of pride at protecting herself. But it was quickly diminished.

"STOP!" The voice of the captain echoed in the hallway. Eowyn and Gimli momentarily paused, their weapons still on hand. But they could do nothing.

Legolas was on the floor, a large lump on his head visible and his eyes closed. His knives had clattered away on the floor, and the only notion that he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest. The captain was crouched next to him, his blade positioned underneath Legolas's throat.

"Put down your weapons, or I will not hesitate to cut his throat." The captain ordered. Eowyn and Gimli slowly obeyed. A dart of fear shot through Eowyn as she remembered Aragorn. He appeared to be unconscious, still slumped on the edge of the wall. But he was not forgotten. "You, dwarf, open that cell to your right." Gimli did so, glowering. "Now go in. You too, girl. Lanad, get that one on the wall in too. He is the traitor our master is after! But he looks as if he's dead already."

He snickered, along with the rest of the men. Lanad roughly grabbed Aragorn by the foot and dragged him into the cell. "Wait fool! Disarm him first!" the captain shouted. From in the cell, Eowyn cursed under her breath. She had been hoping that they would forget about Aragorn's sword. But Lanad tugged Anduril and its sheath off of Aragorn's belt, and tossed it to the side. Without further distractions, he shoved Aragorn into the cell.

"Very good." Said the captain. And with that, he got up and dropped Legolas into the cell beside the door. Before Gimli or Eowyn could protest, he slammed the door shut and locked it. He barked orders to the men. "Put the weapons in the storage. And the rest of you, return to your posts. We don't want to arouse any suspicion, do we?"

The soldiers left. Eowyn leaned her head sadly against the door. They had been recaptured, Legolas was hurt again, and Aragorn has scarcely ten minutes to live.

Time was running out.

**TBC…**

**Don't hurt me! But I will take death threats in REVIEWS! WOOOOOOT! **

**Answers to reviews: **

**Ainu Laire: **OMG! (blushes) You are SO NICE! Thank you so much! Here's your update, and THANK you!

**Aragorn75**: Yes, everything does seem to happen to him. And that's the way we like it! When I get around to other stories, he will be the (main) one being in pain/tortured. YAY! Thanks for reviewing!

**Catwraith: **I know that chapter was too short. I'm SO SORRY! But my grandparents were hogging the computer. I had no idea they got so much email…YAY! School's out! Have fun doing nothing! YAY! Here's your update, and thanks!

**FlamesofthemoOn: **Sorry, but I don't remember seeing any recent reviews beside this one. Unless you reviewed after I posted the next chapter. YAY! School's out! wOoT!

And yes, usually Legolas/Gimli would cream the soldiers, but there are kind of a lot, and Legolas is protecting Aragorn. And he is also under severe emotional stress… (yay). Thanks for reviewing!

**lindahoyland: **I totally LOVE your other stories! Especially Shadow and Thought. I love Aragorn being all sacrificial like he is during HDOH, but he is TORTURED in Shadow and Thought! What could beat that? And I agree, emotional angst is just as bad, if not worse, than physical. I tend to enjoy having Aragorn feeling physical pain, and maybe someone nearby feeling guilty or 'feeling his pain'. Thanks for reviewing!

**Wolf Maid: **Aww, thanks! And don't worry, there won't be any…lasting effects. And since this is mostly movie-verse, he has to live! Or does he…

Thanks!

**Lady Eruvandiel: **(blushes again) You are so nice! Thank you! But it isn't over yet! I couldn't leave you with that awful cliffy, now could I? (evil grin) And OMG! He would look SO SEXY with no shirt and tons of bandages! Squeeee! And I will post Star Wars as soon as I type it!

Sigh…August 18 pic…

Thanks for reviewing! Post your story already!

**Thank you SO MUCH everyone! You are so supportive and SO NICE! I look forward to hearing from you again! **

**-QueenofFlarmphgal**


	10. Help is on the way

**Wheee! **

**And we're back! YAY! **

**Sorry it took so long to update, but my dad decided to reinstall the entire computer over the weekend, and then it took me another six days to get my word processor back up…stupid computer. And then, to top it all off, when I tried to post on the 21st, I couldn't get to my stories to update. GRRRRRR….But I'm here now! And oh yeah…I left with a cliff…should probably finish that. As usual, answers to reviews are at the bottom.**

**Anyway, here we have a lot more Gandalf&Friends, and a lot more problems! **

**Enjoy! **

The soldier froze as soon as he felt Glamdring's cold bite on his neck. He inwardly cursed. Harnad had said nothing about the wizard being there!

"Now. Let us talk." Came the voice behind him. The soldier swallowed. Harnad would kill him for sure if he betrayed any of the Faithful's secrets.

"I know nothing." He stated waveringly. Gandalf laughed.

"Nothing? If you knew nothing, I doubt you would be in service to Gondor. With the exception of Pippin over there." The soldier's eyes flickered to the angry hobbit he had fought. He was peering out of window, looking for more men.

"Soldier, I advise you to say something. I am not known to be merciful to those who oppose me, and your words are the only thing saving your life." The soldier choked out a laugh.

"Saving my life? If I tell you anything Harnad will kill me." Suddenly he realized he had said too much. The blade on his throat came closer.

"So you are in league with Harnad and the Faithful. Are you the one who hurt Aragorn so? If you are, I advise you to keep talking. Or I can put it this way. If you talk, I won't kill you, and perhaps you can flee. But if you do not, I will kill you right here and you will never see your home or family again." The voice behind him grew more menacing, as the blade cut into the soft flesh of his neck.

"Wait!" the soldier gasped. The sword stopped. "I will…talk. Please don't kill me. I can lead you to them."

"Them?" This time the hobbit on the bed answered. "Have our friends been recaptured?" He drew his sword as the soldier shakily answered.

"Yes. They were a-ambushed. A number of us left our shifts. I was sent here, while the others were to recapture the intruders. They knew they would succeed."

"How did they know?" Gandalf replied. "Did they know they were fighting some of the most skilled warriors in the West?"

"They knew that one was an elf, one was an unarmed dwarf, one was probably a woman, and one was the filthy traitor that was dying." The soldier snarled.

"Watch your tongue. Now I think you will take us there. Get up." Gandalf commanded harshly while bringing his arm up. The soldier rose obediently. "I am going to remove this blade. But know that if you run, you will die slowly and painfully."

"I know." The soldier stated dully.

"Now." Said Pippin cheerfully. "Let's go." He tossed Gandalf his staff and followed the soldier out of the House, Merry close behind him.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

"My lady," A voice startled Eowyn out of her melancholy thoughts. Gimli had his hand on her shoulder. "We should tend to them. Aragorn does not look good." Eowyn nodded quickly and scooted over to his side, reprimanding herself for not doing so faster.

He was still alive, but his unnatural fever had returned. As Eowyn gently probed the dagger wound, she realized that it too had an inflamed border. The poison should not have spread…

"Gimli, see if you can awaken Legolas. He was with Aragorn for a while. Perhaps there was a change I missed."

Gimli hastily make his way to him. He took Legolas in his lap and called softly.

"Legolas, Legolas, awaken! Aragorn needs you!" He didn't need to say anymore. As soon as Aragorn's name came out, Legolas stirred slowly. Suddenly his eyes snapped open.

"Where is he? The one I was fighting! I will kill him!" Legolas started angrily. He tried to get up, but Gimi held him down.

"Legolas…you were knocked out. We have been recaptured." Legolas blinked slowly.

"We? You mean you and-"his eyes traveled around the cell and came to rest on Aragorn's motionless form. "No! He is not-

"No, he is not, Legolas." Said Eowyn gently. "But tell me. Was the dagger poisoned?" Legolas nodded sadly. He came to Aragorn side and bowed his head.

"Why did you sacrifice yourself for me? You have so often, but this time it was a mistake! I could have taken it!"

"No, you couldn't have, Legolas." He looked at her, his eyes burning. Eowyn hastily added, "The poison is Naicelenar. As you probably know, it is instantly deadly to elves. He saved your life." She added quietly. Legolas's eyes stung with tears. This was to be the hope of Middle-Earth's demise? Destroying himself for a friend? The Valar could be so cruel.

"No." he whispered. "He will survive." He looked back at Eowyn painfully. "How can I help?"

"Well, we can get this useless armor off of him. It's terribly faulty. One strong blow went straight through it, not to mention a dagger." Together, they gently removed the chest plate and the rest of it. Eowyn gasped. Aragorn's shirt was entirely soaked with blood, as was the top half of his pants. But that wasn't the worst. Without the heavy armor, it was easy to tell that Aragorn was having terrible trouble breathing. His breath came in short, unsteady gasps. It literally sounded like he was drowning in blood. Which, Eowyn noted, he was.

She dug around in her pocket, searching. At last she found what she had stuffed in earlier- a roll of bandages. As she began to unwind it, she cursed herself for not bringing more of the aseanan. Looking around the cell, she sought anything useful.

Suddenly she saw a ragged coat in the corner, along with several severed cords. With a sinking feeling she realized that they had been placed in Aragorn's original cell. A part of her hoped that Aragorn would not wake. Seeing the place where he was so tormented would do nothing to help him. She ripped of a segment of the bandage and handed it to Legolas. She would not let him die where Harnad had meant him to.

"Can you bandage his arm? Without the herb, I fear the only thing we can do is prevent him from bleeding to death." Legolas instantly began strapping the bandage around Aragorn's wound. But none of them were prepared for his reaction. Aragorn jerked to the side, muttering words that none of them could catch. He continued jerking around, further injuring his burning limbs.

"Hold him!" Legolas directed as he pushed Aragorn down firmly while still avoiding the cuts. "

"I don't understand!" Eowyn said frustratingly as she seized Aragorn's arm and pressed it to the ground. "Gandalf said nothing about seizures!"

"I'm not surprised." Legolas said dryly. "Estel has a way of never doing anything halfway."

After about a minute the seizure stopped. They released their hold on him, panting from the effort. Even in his weakened state Aragorn was strong, and it took a great deal of strength to hold him down. Eowyn noted sadly that his breathing seemed even worse. She turned to Legolas.

"He is losing the battle that rages in his body." she said softly. Legolas shook his head.

"No," he said simply. "He will win. Estel will never lose hope.

"Shhh," Came a sudden voice. Gimli was flat against the door, listening. They turned to him and heard people running. But the most distinctive pattern was a soft pitter-patter of unshod feet.

Hobbit feet.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Faster!" Pippin growled at the soldier. He was walking at a leisurely pace, occasionally waving at nearby soldiers. Pippin jerked his blade into the back of the soldier's armor. He got the message and hurried along. At last they reached the throne room. Gandalf spoke to the guards at the door, saying he had an errand for the Lord Aragorn. They let him in without a question.

Upon entering, the soldier looked around nervously before heading for the wall in the back. He briefly scanned the rocks before selecting one and pushing. The door slid open. To the surprise of all of them, there was no posted guard. It was exactly as Eowyn and Aragorn had seen it- empty.

As Gandalf pushed his way in, the soldier halted.

"This is as far as I dare go. I do not know exactly where your friends are, but they are in a cell, to the left." He backed away nervously, then turned and left. To the surprise of the hobbits, Gandalf let him go.

"Gandalf! Stop him! He'll raise the alarm!" Merry hissed. Gandalf shook his head.

"He will not. He is in our debt. We did not kill him as he meant to kill us. I do not trust him entirely, but he will leave us. Most likely, he will pretend he never saw us or say that his job was done." With that Gandalf entered.

"Wait…" said Pippin. He ran to the door to the right and opened it. As before, there was nothing. But there was also a rather large pile of weapons. "Look! Here is Gimli's axe, and Legolas's knives, and Aragorn's sword. But there is another…" He held up the Gondorian sword that Eowyn had 'borrowed'.

"Merry, take them. There will probably be guards farther in, and they will need their weapons in case of a fight." Gandalf directed, while worriedly peering down the corridor. He had a feeling that they had to hurry. He started down the passage. But they already heard voices.

"…will never lose hope."

"Shh!"

The three exchanged glances, and without a further though, rushed toward a cell.

**TBC…**

**Please review! And sorry again for the wait!**

**Answers to reviewers:**

**lindahoyland: ** Whee! Thank you so much! (blushes). And how could I not leave kind comments? Your stories are SO GOOD and SO ANGSTY, in pretty much every way possible. That totally sucks about all of your reviews though. And I totally LOVED that chapter of BOG, especially the fact that Aragorn gets hurt, even though it's kinda minor. Throw in a sword….that would be nice. And if your new story is The White Tree, can't wait to see some angst! Thanks for reviewing!

**Petra: **(turns more red) thank you! I did wonder what happened to you, but it is no insult if you forget to review. I still do that all the time. And yes, my parody will go up as soon as possible. And Natalie Portman- what did she do the whole movie? Hmmm, that would be going from pregnant to not pregnant, thinking that Anakin had died, and crying. She should have been cut out. Ewan is my favorite part of Star Wars. He's so cool, and so sad at the end. But such a LOUSY story, I agree. But the droid humor ticked me off. It's STAR WARS. Not a kid's movie. Thanks for reviewing!

**Ainu Laire: **Scene: A dark room. Aragorn and Legolas are bound to chairs, and gagged. They hear footsteps and roll their eyes.

Queen: (runs in with printed review) Look! A nice REVIEW!

Aragorn/Legolas: MMMPH!

Queen: (reads paper) Things don't look so good…hmm. Guess I better make it worse for you guys!

Aragorn/Legolas: MMMPH!

Queen: Well, bring in the weapons! (runs away cackling while various bad guys enter with assorted weapons)

Thanks for reviewing!

**FlamesofthemoOn: **Yes, Aragorn&Co. are rather unlucky. Oh well. More fun for us! But now Gandalf is coming to save the day! YAY! Hope he's not too late! Thanx for reviewing!

**viggomaniac: **Yes, we are evil, aren't we? Finding pleasure in other's pain? LOL! YAY! And I doubt Aragorn will ever be safe while in the hands of these crazy fanfic writers. Not if I have a say in it…but he is so self-sacrificial! What's his problem? I might have to kill him for that! JK. You know, Aragorn could be our favorite just because Viggo is SO HOT! You know, he has a book out. It's called Horse Is Good, I think. It's a book of pictures that he must have taken during Hidalgo. I realize this because most pics are in the desert, and also because Hidalgo is in several scenes. Very perceptive, I know. Thanks for reviewing!

**Thank you so much everyone! I look forward to hearing from you again! **

**QueenofFlarmphgal**


	11. Falling

**Hello everyone! **

**What's new?**

**Why do you all have weapons/checks last update/ Has it really been two weeks? Time really does fly…/backs away/**

**SORRY! **

**Well at least I'm updating now! **

**A/N: As most of you know, has unjustly banned responding to reviewers. And since I have no desire to be kicked off the site, I will no longer be posting them. But PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING! THEY MAKE ME SO HAPPY! **

**And also, I will reply to reviews anyway through email. **

**SO PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Enough rambling. Here it is, folks! **

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Pippin reached the door first and hammered on it.

"Aragorn? Eowyn? Legolas? Gimli? Are you there?" he shouted through the door. He jumped up and down, trying hopelessly to peer into the small window.

"Pippin, is that you? Aye, we're all here. But Aragorn is looking bad. Is Gandalf there?" Gimli replied. Neither Legolas nor Eowyn appeared to have heard Pippin. They were carefully wrapping the rest of Aragorn's wounds. Luckily, Aragorn remained silent, with no spasms or seizures. It seemed that now he was barely hanging on.

"Stand away from the door!" Gandalf spoke quickly. Using Eowyn's technique, he drove Glamdring into the door and cut out the lock. The door swung open. Gandalf, followed by Merry, hurried in. But he stopped abruptly when he saw Aragorn. His face turned colors to match his robes. Merry stepped beside him and gasped.

They had been expecting him in, well, not the best shape, but Aragorn was about thirty times worse. His face was pale from blood loss, while his wet shirt outlined his ragged breathing. Merry choked back a sob. Before, he had been confident that Strider would pull through, but now he was suddenly afraid that he would die.

Legolas looked up for the first time and realized that Gandalf was there.

"Gandalf…Please! Can you help him? He is so cold, and yet burns with fever…" Legolas added, touching Aragorn's still face. Gandalf snapped out of his trance and hurried to kneel next to him. He carefully noted the sluggish beat of Aragorn's heart, and the cuts, which were still bleeding, even through the bandages. He looked up.

"Here, I can do nothing. But if we can get him back to the Houses, he may stand a chance. We can only hope that he is not so far away that he won't respond to the antidote." Legolas nodded and started to shift Aragorn into his arms from his position on the floor. A hand on his arm stopped him as Eowyn spoke softly.

"Legolas, let Gandalf carry him. You just got a mild concussion, at least, and you are weary. Please." Legolas shook his head.

"I will carry him. I must make sure he still breathes." Legolas ignored her, and rose, Aragorn cradled in his arms. Eowyn noted that Aragorn had hardly responded, nothing like when Gandalf had lifted him before. She grabbed Legolas's shoulder, but before she could say a word, she met his eyes. They were filled with unspeakable worry, and pain. She stepped back, amazed. Legolas led the way out of the cell.

They hurried, and more than once Eowyn was thankful that they met no guards. Merry and Pippin had passed out the weapons, and though she was ready to fight, she didn't think Legolas would take too kindly to anyone. The men they did pass averted their eyes and whispered to one another. But finally they reached the Houses.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Legolas deposited Aragorn carefully on the bed before sinking into Gandalf's chair. Gandalf was immediately active. He shouted down the hall for hot water and cloths. The water-leaf he already had prepared. Before Merry and Pippin were annoying him, they had almost used the entire stock of the leaf to make the paste, both of them sure they would need it.

Eowyn rushed to Aragorn's side and hurriedly began to unwind the bandages. Gimli was watching her, and when she took too long for his liking, he pushed past her and carefully sliced the bandages free. The cuts looked at their all-time worst, being crusted with dried blood and radiating heat. Gandalf quickly pressed the wet cloths onto them, cleaning them and cooling them down at the same time. Throughout this, Aragorn remained still. The only sign he was alive was his irregular breathing.

At last the hobbits came forward with the aseanan. The Warden had put it away, believing the crisis to be over. They carefully dropped lengthy amounts on the cuts. The others watched with bated breath. And they got a reaction. Aragorn groaned slowly, then began shivering and coughing. Eowyn rushed to get blankets.

"The antidote is supposed to help him, not make him worse!" she yelled over her shoulder. "Are you sure this is right?"

"Of course!" Pippin shouted back. He ran after her, bent on helping somehow. Legolas, who had held tightly to the chair for the whole operation, suddenly jumped up and seized Aragorn's hand.

"Estel, can you hear me? Please, come back!" his voice dropped to a whisper. "Please…" To the surprise of the others, Aragorn's eyes flitted in their sockets, and then opened slowly. He smiled softly at Legolas.

"You are…all right." He whispered around coughs. Legolas smiled though the tears in his eyes.

"Yes. And now you will be too." But Aragorn slowly shook his head.

"Legolas…I cannot…not strong enough. I am…falling." Legolas grasped his hand tighter.

"No. You will prevail. You have been in worse spots before. Remember when we met, running from orcs?" Aragorn smiled sadly.

"I remember…our friendship. Legolas…I am…sorry, but…I cannot…hold on. Please forgive…me." Legolas shook his head, tears spilling from his eyes.

"No. You must fight!" he stated sharply through his tears.

Eowyn chose this moment to come back.

"I only found a few blankets, there are many injured being brought in, but-" She stopped in midsentence, gazing at the scene before her.

"Is that…Eowyn? Tell her…I am eternally…grateful. She…taught me…so much. But promise…promise me." Aragorn let out a long and rattly cough. He tried again. "Promise…do not let…the Quest…fail. I am…a small sacrifice…to the war. And Arwen...my family…tell them…I love them." He paused for breath again, a longer one. "But Legolas…do not fade…keep fighting. I will always…be there."

His eyes slid shut.

"NO!" Merry suddenly cried. He leaped onto the bed and plastered his ear to Aragorn's chest, listening for a heartbeat. "No…"

Aragorn's chest heaved suddenly, then slowed to a stop.

He was gone.

**TBC…**

**Please review! I will respond via email! **

**And I WILL update on the…12th. **

**See ya then! **

**QueenofFlarmphgal**


	12. One last hope

**Hello again! **

**Look! I actually updated EARLY! Go me! **

**So you can put away your weapons…**

**Before I get to the story, many thanks to lindahoyland: my 50th reviewer! Snaps for you! Thanks! **

**On we go! **

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Merry remained plastered to Aragorn's chest, listening in vain for a sound, any sound. Tears tracked slowly down his cheeks. He slowly got up.

Suddenly Legolas's barrier broke down. He collapsed into sobs, clutching Aragorn's hand, calling for him repeatedly. But no response came.

Gandalf and Eowyn remained where they were. Eowyn was too stunned to move, except for the tears that escaped her eyes. How could he be gone? How could one who had so selflessly given himself to the defense of all of Middle Earth be destroyed by the very beings he had saved? It wasn't fair. Eowyn turned to face the door, not wanting to see and accept the view before her. But she was rewarded by a new one.

An old woman was pelting toward the door, a bundle clutched in her bony hands. She came to a skidding stop before a very surprised Eowyn, who recognized her as Ioreth, the head healer.

"Please," the woman gasped. "A boy just came…he found a man who had the herbs. They will save him…please. Give them to Mithrandir. He can save the King." Eowyn looked away, not sure how to respond. How could she finalize Aragorn's death to the people?

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "He is…gone." Ioreth shook her head and pressed the bundle into her hands.

"The crownless again shall be king…" she whispered. "Mithrandir told me, just yesterday. These are the kingsfoil, the _athelas_ that he asked for. They are miracle plants. Trust me. Give them to him, in his hands." Eowyn nodded, almost in a trance. Ioreth clasped her hand, then turned around and left.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Eowyn stood still for another few second, and then snapped back in to action. If the woman believed that there was still a chance of saving Aragorn, then she would do it. She took a deep breath, and walked back into the room.

It was no better than when she left it. Merry had collapsed, and Pippin was supporting him wordlessly. Gandalf was standing still, as if he didn't quite believe the scene before him. And Legolas was still helplessly pleading with the Valar to bring Aragorn back. Gimli had a hand on his shoulder, his head bowed in grief. Eowyn almost didn't want to intrude on the Fellowship's mourning, but if she could save Aragorn, there would be no need to mourn.

She walked briskly past Merry and Pippin and came to Gandalf.

"My lord, a healer, Ioreth just gave me the herbs he asked for. The kingsfoil. She believes you can still save him. Please, can you try?" Gandalf looked at her, seeing her sorrow and yet a faint glimmer of hope. Then his gaze turned to Legolas. He would surely fade without Aragorn. But if they brought him back…Gandalf nodded.

"I will do what I can, my lady. I will attempt to bring him back. It is not yet his time to die."

Gandalf moved past her and placed a hand on top of Legolas's, which still clutched Aragorn's hand. "Legolas," he murmured. "We have one last hope. The _athelas_, it could save him. But I need his hands." Legolas looked up at him tearfully, then back at Aragorn's still form.

"The hands of a king…" Legolas muttered, almost to himself. "But can he heal himself?" Gandalf smiled sadly.

"It is his only hope."

**TBC…**

**Sorry for the short chapter! See ya soon! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	13. Rekindling the Fire

**Hello everyone! **

**What? Long wait? **

**Well, I didn't update early for nothing! This chapter was hard to write and I still don't like it, but I felt that I should update. **

**Sorry! **

**But before the story, let me tell you: No matter what you've heard, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is TOTALLY AWESOME! And Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) is NOT insane! And Johnny Depp is SUPER COOL in it! **

**To tell the truth, I liked it better than the book, even though they have some minor changes. And speaking of books, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was AWESOME as well. Even though SOMEBODY dies…**

**Now, back to the story. There will be a lot more Eowyn in this chapter, and some nice interaction with hobbits. Oh, and as for Aragorn…**

**Onward! **

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Gandalf gently unclasped Legolas's hands from Aragorn's. He did not protest, but he focused on Aragorn's face with a drawn look, seemingly willing him to awaken once more. But Gandalf worked quickly.

First he carefully unwrapped Ioreth's bundle. True to her word, there were ten almost-fresh leaves of athelas. He lifted out a single leaf and forced open Aragorn's mouth. Inside it he gently placed the leaf on his tongue. Gandalf softly shut his mouth and grasped Aragorn's wrists. There was no change, no pulse, but Gandalf could still detect a trace of living warmth.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Meanwhile, Eowyn was standing impatiently next to Legolas's chair, wishing that she could be more helpful. Gandalf seemed to be doing the best he could as fast as he could, but she couldn't shrug off the feeling that Aragorn was getting farther and farther away from their aid. She took a deep breath and turned away. Eowyn needed to calm herself down.

Her gaze turned to Merry and Pippin. Merry was still on the floor, but he was in a sitting position and was looking hopefully toward the bed. Pippin, however, was sitting next to him, head bowed. Eowyn made her way next to him.

"Pippin, what is wrong? Are you hurt?" Pippin raised his head incredulously.

"'What's wrong?' Everything! I couldn't save Lord Denethor from being burned alive, and now it seems that I have failed Aragorn as well. I _knew _he would be in trouble when he went back there. I should have gone with him. I could have saved him. That, my lady, is what's wrong." Eowyn gaped at him.

"Pippin, what on earth are you talking about? You haven't failed anyone!" Pippin laughed bitterly.

"Oh, no, except for two leaders of the entire Middle-Earth, I haven't failed anyone! Didn't you hear me? I couldn't save them!" Eowyn shook her head and grasped his shoulders, turning his tearstained face towards hers.

"Pippin, you have not failed anyone. Denethor burned _himself _alive. You couldn't do anything more than you did, which is already great! You saved his heir, Lord Faramir, from certain death! You-"

"No," Pippin interrupted. "Aragorn saved Faramir. I simply helped bring him from the Houses of the Dead to-"

"To The Houses of the Living! Of healing! If you hadn't saved him from flame, Aragorn would not have been able to save him! And as for Aragorn…" she broke off and looked toward the bed.

"Aragorn's passing was no one's fault besides Harnad's. And when he went back, none could deter him from his loyalty to his friends. If you _and _Merry both came with us, doubtless we would have had more people to make a stand, but then the enemy would have simply sent more men. And then you might have been hurt as well." Eowyn paused. Pippin looked down again.

"Pippin, why do you still despair? There is still hope for him! Did you not hear? Aragorn may be able to heal himself." Pippin looked up sadly.

"My lady, I do not know what to hope for. If the athelas will bring him back, then there shall be none happier than I. But what if it doesn't? What if-"

"No." Eowyn interrupted again. "Doubt is the path to despair. Have faith in him. It is not his time." Pippin smiled, a true smile that lit his face behind the tears. Without knowing it, Eowyn leaned forward and embraced the hobbit warmly. But their moment was interrupted by a sudden burst of light from the bed.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

After placing the athelas, Gandalf grasped Aragorn's wrists and pulled his hands together. He looked with sorrow at the Ring of Barahir, remembering the first day Aragorn had been told of his heritage, and how far he had come, only to meet his demise. But if there was a way to change it…

Gandalf shook away his memories and placed Aragorn's hands above his still heart. He could still feel warmth from his body affecting the air around him. Now was the time. He turned to Eowyn, but she was sitting with the hobbits. Gimli noticed this.

"Gandalf, what is it? Do you need something?" Gandalf smiled softly.

"Nay, Gimli, but perhaps you can help me. I am going to push my healing power into his hands to reawaken their strength, and hopefully restore his heartbeat. All I ask is that you hold down my hands. This will affect me a little, I fear, and I cannot bring my hands away from his." Gimli nodded, and after giving Legolas a quick squeeze on the shoulder, he firmly grasped Gandalf's hands.

"Gandalf…you will not be hurt from this, will you? I would not have you put yourself in danger."

"No, Gimli, it will simply tax my strength, which is nothing a little bed rest won't solve. Are you ready?" Gimli nodded. Gandalf took a deep breath and after a quick prayer to the Valar, began.

He pushed all of his strength and power out of his hands and into Aragorn's. A white light began to spread through his fingers, slow, but strong. Gandalf felt a sudden burst of pain through his wrists and stifled a cry. Gimli tightened his grip. Steadily, the light began to grow, spreading across Aragorn's chest, and seemingly entering it.

Gandalf struggled to remain upright. It was taxing him more than he thought to do this, but suddenly he felt movement under his fingers. Aragorn's hands were twitching, and color was returning to his face. Legolas immediately leapt up and pressed a hand to the side of Aragorn's neck, praying to find a pulse.

He did.

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**Well, there you go! As some of you might have suspected, this story is winding down. Perhaps one or two more chapters more…**

**Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers, and as usual, I will be sending responses via email, so please either sign in or include your email address when you review! **

**AND PLEASE REVIEW! **

**QueenofFlarmphgal**


	14. Hope Restored

**Hello everyone!**

**Welcome back! **

**I am pretty bored right now, so I decided to update. Nice of me, huh! **

**This is the next-to-last chapter for A Shadow and a Thought. I still don't know about a sequel or anything, but I do have ideas for other, non related stories.**

**Anyway, this chapter is mainly tons of healing and talking, so enjoy!**

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Eowyn quickly stood up and hurried to the bed, Merry and Pippin close behind her. She watched with bated breath as Gandalf fingers emitted the light, illuminating the whole room. Suddenly Aragorn's hands twitched. Eowyn could scarcely contain herself as Legolas leapt for Aragorn's pulse.

Legolas let his hand fall, trembling from the sudden burst of emotion in his heart. He looked at all of them gathered around the bed, and uttered two words.

"He lives."

The rest of the room stood in suppressed shock for a moment, then all burst into happiness. Eowyn swept Pippin into a hug. Gimli clapped Legolas on the back, grinning broadly. Gandalf remained where he was, not without a soft smile spreading across his face. Suddenly Aragorn's chest gave a great heave, and in his unconscious state he began coughing harshly.

They were drawn from their celebrations back to Aragorn. Gandalf slowly pulled his hands away from Aragorn's. To the relief of all, he continued coughing. Eowyn snapped back into action.

"Merry and Pippin, could you please boil the water and get me some cold compresses? And Gimli, go find the Warden and ask him for the pain-reducing herbs and also the tea for congestion. He is alive, but still injured and in danger." With that, she checked her patient's temperature. It was not as dangerously high as before, but a fever still burned. She carefully propped Aragorn up a little bit, and tipped a little water into his mouth. He swallowed reflexively and the coughing subsided, but he began to shiver again.

Legolas quickly put a blanket over him, one that wasn't so heavy that it would aggravate his wounds but would warm him at least a little. Eowyn carefully assessed his injuries.

"My lord, we must remove the dagger now. It is probably still poisonous and it is affecting his breathing. Will you-"

Legolas nodded without letting her finished. He grasped Aragorn's shoulders and held them down firmly. Eowyn grasped the hilt, and with a deep breath, yanked it out. Aragorn cried out and thrashed on the bed as blood began to seep from the cut. Eowyn quickly recovered and pressed a wet cloth to it, stopping the bleeding. Aragorn's struggles quieted, but his breathing became more ragged and strained. Eowyn quickly retrieved the aseanan from the table and spread it over the wound.

Legolas released him slowly. His eyes traveled around the room, where Merry and Pippin were stoking the fire and Gandalf had slumped into a chair. His eyes came to a stop when he saw what he needed: a needle and thread. He swiftly retrieved them and handed them to Eowyn.

"They need to be stitched to prevent infection." He stated quietly. Eowyn nodded. She hated stitching wounds, but he really needed them. Eowyn carefully threaded the needle and pulled back the blanket. The cuts hadn't started bleeding again, but they still looked bad. She paused, unsure of where to start.

Eowyn finally decided on the cut on his right arm. Aragorn would need his sword arm as soon as possible, and she wanted it to be working. She nodded again to Legolas, who held Aragorn's arm. Eowyn quickly inserted the needle. Aragorn moaned but did not struggle. Heartened by his reaction, Eowyn finished the wound rapidly. Once she tied it off, she already noticed that the cut was no longer a burning red color, but was returning to normal. That could only mean one thing: the poison was wearing off.

Eowyn moved onto the leg wounds, which Aragorn barely responded to, and the other arm and chest, which only generated a moan. Soon all that were left was the dagger wound and the cut across his face. She decided to wait for the pain-reducing herbs before attempting his face, which was bound to be the most painful.

Twelve stitches later, she looked impatiently at the door. Where was Gimli? It shouldn't take that long to simply ask the Warden for a few herbs. But as if an answer to her question, Gimli rushed into the room, panting, with a battered pack on his back. He caught the amused glances of both Eowyn and Legolas and slung the pack onto a table.

"I couldn't find the Warden. Perhaps he went to bed, but he is not here. And all of the nurses were too busy to even look at me. I can't tell herbs apart for the life of me, so I went to Aragorn's room and got his pack. He has a good supply of medicines, or at least that's what Sam told me."

Legolas nodded in approval and tipped the contents of the pack onto the table. A number of things clattered out, including a long pipe, several packages of dried fruit and meat, and a small sack that clinked as it hit the wooden surface. Legolas picked it up and dropped the contents on the bed. Several small, labeled packages and jars tumbled out. Eowyn picked one up, but could not read the label, as it was written in elvish script. Legolas noticed and took the bottle.

"It says: Cure for poison oak. Spread on infected area. Reapply daily." He frowned and picked up another. "Headaches-" another "Energy-"a small brown packet "Ah! Here! Pain reliever: Brew two leaves as a tea. Must be ingested." He tossed the packet to Pippin, who hastily opened the packet to make the tea. Pippin caught a whiff of it as he steeped the leaves in water. He made a face.

"Ugh, this smells terrible. Are you sure he'll drink this?" Legolas smiled.

"Hopefully. But if he's unconscious, he'll probably drink it easier." He took the cup from Pippin. The tea was warm, but not so hot that it would burn. Legolas moved to Aragorn's side, but after a quick thought he passed it to Eowyn instead.

"You give it to him." He suggested. Eowyn glared at him. She was sure that she had been selected only so Aragorn would not waken only to see Legolas force-feeding him tea. She held the cup to his lips, and to her great surprise, Aragorn swallowed it without protest. The healer half of him seemed to be presiding over his decisions. Eowyn rethreaded the needle. She glanced distastefully at the long cut that ran across his face. It was still red and rather warm, but she knew it had to be stitched to prevent infection.

Twenty-seven stitches and three rolls of bandages later, Eowyn collapsed back onto a chair. Aragorn was now covered in bandages from his knees up, and was sleeping peacefully. They had discovered three broken ribs and wrapped them, along with his many cuts. His fever had subsided and he was breathing easier, too. The room was quiet.

Gandalf had fallen asleep in his chair. Merry and Pippin had drifted into armchairs by the fire and were snoring contentedly. Gimli had curled up by the fire, almost like a cat, Legolas remarked with a wicked gleam in his eye. Now they were the only ones awake. Suddenly Legolas swayed where he stood by the bed. He quickly grabbed the post and righted himself, but not fast enough for Eowyn.

"Your head! I completely forgot! Here, let me see it." She bustled over to him with a cloth. But when she tried to clean the blood off of the shallow cut, Legolas started and moved away.

"Fine, it's fine. It's just a scrape." Legolas murmured, brushing away her hand. Eowyn crossed her arms and glared at him.

"It is not 'just a scrape'. It is a cut, probably from a dirty blade, that will get infected unless you let me tend to it." Again she tried to get to the cut, but again she was thwarted. She grew frustrated.

"If it's just a scrape, why can't I see it?"

"Because Aragorn needs your help more than me."

"Aragorn is alright for now, he just needs rest and his wounds will heal. Now let me-" This time she actually touched it, but Legolas winced sharply and pulled away. She sighed.

"At least let me give you something for the pain." Legolas paused, and then nodded. He sat down in Eowyn's chair and pulled it close to the bed so he would have a clear view of Aragorn's face. Eowyn took advantage of his distraction and quickly added a leaf of a sleeping draught she had found in Aragorn's pack earlier. He had a very large supply, and she was beginning to see the reason. She carefully put the cup in Legolas's hands. He gulped it down without a second glance.

A sudden change came over him. He leaned back in his chair and blinked. Catching sight of Eowyn, he instantly realized he had been drugged.

"You play an unfair game." He muttered drowsily. He was asleep within five minutes. Eowyn grinned evilly and checked his cut. It really wasn't much to worry about, but she cleaned and bandaged it all the same.

Her work done, Eowyn found a blanket and sat down in the room's one remaining chair. As she closed her eyes, a sudden happiness glowed in her.

Hope had been restored.

**To be concluded…**

**Please review! I'll update in a few days, maybe Friday…**

**QueenofFlarmphgal**


	15. A Hopeful Tomorrow

**Well, here we are, for the last time…**

**I'll save my words for the end. **

**Here's the last chapter! **

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Legolas awoke slowly. His first thought was _How did I fall asleep? And where am I?_ He looked around the room groggily and saw Eowyn asleep in her chair, an innocent smile on her face. Ah, now he remembered. He mentally reminded himself to get revenge later.

Suddenly he recalled why he was here. Aragorn! He quickly focused his attention on the bed in front of him. Its inhabitant was sleeping peacefully. Legolas leaned over and checked his breathing. It was sure and steady, and his heartbeat was strong.

Legolas smiled. Aragorn would be alright. But now the hardest part would begin: keeping him in the bed. He found Aragorn's hand again and grasped it tightly. It was much more comforting than the freezing cold one he had grasped the night before. Thinking absently, he started to whisper to him as he always did when Aragorn was injured. Which, come to think of it, was quite often.

"Ah, mellon nin, why is it that you cannot go anywhere without getting into some kind of trouble? I swear, you must be cursed. You can find trouble everywhere! I bet you could walk in Elrond's gardens and find some insane Elf or man who is out for your blood. Maybe it's just-" Suddenly he was cut off by another weak whisper.

"Not my fault…t-trouble finds me." Silver eyes opened slowly and smiled at him.

"Aragorn! You're awake! How do you feel? Where does it hurt? I had the pain reliever here somewhere…" Legolas began to rummage around Aragorn's pack. Aragorn laughed weakly.

"Easy, Legolas. I am fine." Legolas turned all the way around and stared at his friend in disbelief.

"Fine," he repeated slowly. "Fine. You think you are 'fine'. I think I may have to disagree with you there. You see, a 'fine' person would not need over a hundred stitches just to prevent them from bleeding to death. Or several rolls of bandages to hold their broken ribs, which they chose not to mention to ANYONE! You, Estel, are not fine."

Broken ribs? Stitches? So that was why he felt like a troll had used him as a club, Aragorn mused silently.

"Well, you are not fine either, are you? What's this?" Aragorn remarked as he reached up to gently touch the bandage wrapped around Legolas's head. Legolas followed his hand there and found the bandage. He started.

"I don't remember…Eowyn! She must have done it when I was asleep! That-" He mumbled colorfully as he tried to unwrap the bandage. Aragorn was shaking on the bed in silent laughter, which quickly turned into a moan as the cut on his face made itself known. This set off a number of reactions.

Eowyn, Merry, Pippin, and Gandalf all woke up and ran to the bed. Legolas stopped tugging at his bandage and checked his temperature. Aragorn almost started laughing again at the messy group around his bed. Merry and Pippin were rubbing their eyes still. Gandalf's usually perfectly kept beard was in disarray and looked rather pointy. And Eowyn's hair looked rather like it had exploded. Even Legolas looked ridiculous, with the bandage halfway hanging off his head.

Aragorn smiled ruefully up at them.

"Um, good morning, everyone!"

Merry and Pippin immediately leapt onto the bed with cries of "Strider!" and "You're alright!" to embrace him. Aragorn only winced slightly when they put pressure on his injured chest, but warmly embraced them back. Eowyn finally snapped out of her sleepiness.

"Merry! Pippin! Be careful, you two!" she reprimanded them. Aragorn smiled his thanks at her. She grinned back, cheered by his response, and immediately began to boil water for tea. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin got off of Aragorn, both babbling nonstop.

"Oh, Strider, we were so worried. Did you-"

"We knew you would get into trouble again, didn't we, Pip? And-"

Aragorn would have responded, but he was busy trying to sit up. Gandalf, who was closest to his head, gently laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

"You cannot possibly be thinking of getting up so soon, correct?" He said, sounding remarkably like Lord Elrond. Aragorn scowled as best he could, and carefully pushed his hand away.

"I have been lying down for so long. I just want to sit up." Eowyn came back to the bed, carrying a steaming cup.

"It's alright, Gandalf, let him sit up. He has to drink this anyway." She carefully helped Gandalf prop him up and put several pillows behind him. Satisfied, she handed Aragorn the cup.

Aragorn took it, but just before drinking it he raised it and sniffed it. His features contorted as he recognized the odor. As a final check, he looked at it and carefully noted the color. After a few seconds he smiled.

"Nice try." He smirked as he handed the cup back to Eowyn. She was astounded.

"You are in pain, don't try to hide it. Drink it!" Aragorn grinned ruefully.

"What kind of healer would I be if I couldn't tell what a sleeping draught is? I don't need any more rest."

"Aragorn," Eowyn replied. "You _have_ to drink this. Just yesterday you were almost dead! You are better, and I thank the Valar for that, but you are not well yet. It's just for a few hours more. You need that." Again she pushed the cup toward him, and again Aragorn wouldn't take it. Eowyn grew frustrated.

"By the Valar! I give up! You are just as bad as him!" she pointed an accusing finger at Legolas, who had finally succeeded in getting the bandage off.

"Just as bad? He is the worst patient in Arda!" Legolas argued indignantly. "Just mention the name 'Strider' and 'injured' to any healer on the east side of the Misty Mountains, and they will either run for their lives, or simply jump off the nearest cliff."

"Me? And what about you? Every healer west of the mountains knows you and your reputation of being the patient from Mordor-."

"Enough of that," Eowyn interrupted. Merry and Pippin were cracking up behind her. "I have to check your wounds anyway."

She bent over Aragorn and carefully unwound the bandage around his ribs. Once the cuts were exposed, she actually jumped back.

To her surprise, all of the cuts looked almost completely healed, even the dagger wound.

"I-I don't believe this!" she exclaimed. "They are almost as good as new! Why, I could even remove the stitches this afternoon!" Aragorn laughed at her obvious astonishment.

"My elven blood enables me to heal quickly. It is the one part of my heritage I am thankful for!" Eowyn kept her surprised look even after checking his ribs, which she declared were healing well and would probably be alright after tomorrow.

Later on, Gandalf removed the stitches. It seemed that Eowyn had learned something of Aragorn's stubbornness and realized that he wouldn't be that way to Gandalf. He still refused to take a sleeping draught, though he accepted the pain relieving one. Nonetheless, removing the seemingly countless stitches was not pleasant. The ones on his face they left for the next morning.

As the shadows grew longer, they retired, each to their separate rooms this time. Even Gimli, who had slept nearly all day. He had woken only at about four, claiming he was starving. Legolas had ruefully followed him to their shared room, but not before warning Aragorn to stay in bed unless he wanted to be tied to it the next day. Aragorn had simply smiled and bid him goodnight.

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Much later, when the stars were bright overhead, Aragorn awoke. He tried to get back to sleep, but he became exceedingly restless and at last decided to just go outside to the balcony. He carefully rolled out of bed, only wincing when he put pressure on his ribs. Elvish blood or not, he still needed time to heal.

He carefully made his way to the balcony. Once outside, he felt his spirit refreshed. Aragorn looked musingly at the stars, bright and beautiful across the sky. There was no shadow above them tonight, but he could still detect a great uneasiness across the city. Minas Tirith had been won, but tomorrow they would ride out to face Sauron. Eowyn was against it for a while, but could not stop Aragorn, who at the time had been set on not being the reason to delay their only chance. Eomer had come earlier in the day, and after raging over Aragorn's state, had agreed to assemble his riders for the next day.

Aragorn took a deep breath and turned to go back inside. But in the doorway, he was face-to-face with Eowyn.

"My lady," he said after a moment. "What are you-." Eowyn caught him carefully by the arm.

"Don't you dare move those ribs anymore than you have to. I knew that you would like a midnight stroll." She said knowingly. Aragorn smiled and made his way back in. Eowyn followed. As Aragorn sat on the bed, she smiled sadly.

"Good luck tomorrow." She said softly. "I know you will go into battle, but just remember one thing." Aragorn cocked his head, wordlessly inquiring.

"If you get yourself hurt again…" She paused. "I shall be forced to get Ioreth to patch you up."

Aragorn grinned.

**END**

**I just want to say how much of a great experience this has been for me. My ENDLESS thanks to my reviewers. You guys have encouraged me on every step of the way…**

**I still am at a blank regarding a sequel or anything, but I do have another story that will be posted soon: A Red Sun Rises. I can't give away the plot here, but I promise- it will have tons of angst for our favorite ranger! **

**Once again, thanks to everyone, and PLEASE drop a review for this! I will respond via individual emails, so PLEASE tell me how it was! **

**Navear, and hannon le! **

**QueenofFlarmphgal**


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